L'Heure Bleue
by stress
Summary: Never fully recovered from James's horrific attack in Phoenix, Bella learns the hard way that she's not only a danger magnet - she's a vampire magnet, too. Set Post-Twilight, Pre-New Moon. ExB. AR.
1. Preface

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes._

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

_Ever since they first met, Rosalie and Bella had never really got along.  
It'll take a miracle to change that—a miracle, or an unexpected new enemy in Forks. _

--

PREFACE

--

Call me naïve, call me too trusting… you can even call me a little touched in the head, but I _never_ imagined that something like this would ever happen to me.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be flying through a nearby woods, running for my life, fleeing from a… a monster who wanted nothing more than to end my pitiful existence as a human. But I was, and despite everything that has led up this moment, I was having a hard time coming to grips with that fact.

Not that I should have been surprised, not when my second family was made up of a coven of civilized vampires. But the Cullens weren't monsters and I more than trusted them all with my life; in fact, I owed my life to all of them. In the past eight months, ever since I'd first met and fallen head over heels for the youngest of the Cullens, each one of them had had a hand in saving me at least once.

Including Rosalie. And, surprisingly enough—I was having an even harder time figuring this out, trust me—she was currently in the middle of trying to save me again.

Save us.

As stubborn as she was gorgeous, Rosalie was running with me, running for me, convinced we could make it out of the woods together. It was thanks to her superhuman speed that we were flying, and due to her considerable strength that I hadn't been left behind already. Mimicking the way I normally traveled with her brother, I was clutching to Rosalie, riding her slender back as if I were a spider monkey. In spite of my nerves and my fear, I made sure not to muddy her clothes with my shoes. If we survived, I knew I would hear all about it if I destroyed her blouse.

_If…_

That was a pretty big if. We'd had a head start and we knew the surrounding area better than him, but those were our only advantages. He was quick, he was smart, and, above all, he was determined.

_Not to mention he didn't have a useless human slowing him down_, I thought guiltily, scrabbling with my sweaty fingertips to grip the hard granite of Rosalie's vampire skin.

My heart beating so loud that I was sure he could hear us, I wished with everything I had that Edward was here with me, that he was the one carrying us through the dense trees and the slick grass. But it wasn't—and the worst part was that he had no idea what sort of trouble Rosalie and I had gotten ourselves into.

If we survived, I was going to make sure I never listened to Alice again.

But at least I wasn't alone. Rosalie was with me, she was _helping_ me, and that meant more to me now than I ever would have thought. It was Rosalie and me against him… I almost couldn't believe it myself.

It was stifling in the woods, the humidity unbearable. I felt like I was trapped in a cocoon, the muggy heat and the sticky damp surrounding me in such a way that I couldn't break through. Even the wind rushing by us did nothing to help beat the heat. What I wouldn't have given for one of Forks' never-ending rainstorms to come and bring some sort of relief—and maybe help wash away our scents.

I glanced behind me, my fearful eyes wide and searching. Despite Rosalie's bravado, I was afraid. He would be here soon, I was sure of it. He would be here, and he would win.

I turned my head back around, not wanting to see what threatened to appear behind us. Panic overruled my motion sickness, and if I would have managed to focus on that, I would've been grateful. Puke would be even more of a nightmare on Rosalie's silk blouse.

I turned my head back around, and, regardless of my overwhelming dread that he'd catch us before long, I tightened my arms around Rosalie in support. Who knew? Maybe we weren't so doomed after all.

I'd only traveled this path once before—and it had been at a dizzier pace because Edward had been the one running—I just knew that we were almost out of the trees. We were almost back at the car. We just might make it. The tightness in my chest seemed to lessen just a smidge as I closed my eyes in relief. It had been such a stupid and reckless idea to come here. Edward was going to kill me when he found out what I'd done. Me and Rosalie and Alice, most of all.

Regardless of how Edward—and Emmett—would react to our carelessness, I couldn't wait to get back to the sanctuary of the Cullens' house. It would mean safety when we were all locked behind the thick walls of the hidden white fortress.

We never should have left it.

I was breathing a little heavier, already beginning to imagine the sweet relief I would feel back at the Cullens, when Rosalie suddenly stopped. She stopped, whirling around as she let loose with such a horrific snarl that I couldn't help but remember that she was just as dangerous as our pursuer was.

I opened my eyes, almost unwillingly, and I knew right away why she was so defensive.

_He'd found us._

* * *

Author's Note: _I wanted to do something with the character of Rosalie while, at the same time, staying true to the book. Therefore, I decided to ignore the sequels at the moment and focus on the relationship between all of the characters following the events of _Twilight_. _

_I hope you liked the preface. Let me know what you think._

-- stress


	2. Reflection

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes._

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter One  
_REFLECTION_

--

The stock was balancing in my arms like a hikers' version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A heavy pair of boots, a poncho, a compass, a couple of golf clubs and even an extra large sweatshirt or two were stacked haphazardly in my arms as I carefully made my way to the front of the store. Over the top of the tipping pile, I could just make out the counter. I was almost there.

I might have been able to see the counter in front of me but the stack of outdoors supplies blocked my view of everything else. I didn't see the peg hook sticking out of the fishing pole selection until it was too late.

I felt the sharp edge of the metal hook as it ripped across my upper arm. It stung, and I gasped. Instinctively, I reached my hand over to check for blood. Unfortunately, though, in that one instant of concern, I'd forgotten all about the product that was in my arms—or, rather, that _had_ been in my arms.

Everything tumbled to the ground, settling around my feet, hitting the industrial carpet of Newton's Outfitters with a rather loud thud. An older man who'd been browsing the fishing lures turned around and stared at me, startled. I barely noticed; I was too busy looking at my arm.

Just as I'd expected—there was a cut, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I already had one scar—it was bad, but it didn't compare to the crescent-shaped reminder I had from my last… trip to Phoenix—from my second week on the job. Now, only a dribble of blood was oozing down my skin from the fresh scratch; the reddening of the area surrounding the cut made it look worse than it actually was.

Still, I found myself quickly moving my right hand over the cut, ignoring the twinge, wiping the blood away as thoroughly as I could. It was a reflex I'd developed over the last few months—ever since I'd started dating a vampire who was sorely tempted by the scent of my blood, I'd learned that it was prudent to keep my blood in my veins where it belonged.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

I sighed. I guess that one customer wasn't the only witness to my most recent clumsiness.

"Yes, Mike," I answered quickly, turning around so I could look at him. "Just a scratch, actually. Nothing I can't handle," I added with a forced laugh, trying to sound as friendly as I could. It was frustrating, the way that Mike seemed to always be there when I was working. With Edward, his manner of suddenly appearing was endearing and never failed to amaze me; with Mike, it was kind of annoying.

I didn't know exactly where he was a few minutes ago but he was definitely standing right behind me now, his eyes flickering between the mess on the floor and the arm I was still cradling. The cut was barely dripping and the blood was spilled in such a small amount that I couldn't even make out the tangy, rusty smell that I hated so much. I was glad, too; the last thing I needed was to get sick at work—especially with Mike Newton there.

He already looked far too concerned and I felt bothered rather than flattered. Ever since I'd started working at his father's store alongside him, shortly after I was allowed to remove my walking cast—another unwanted souvenir from Phoenix—Mike had been as overly friendly as ever. His golden retriever persona returned full force; he was eager to please and quick to help me become comfortable within the store, much like the way he had done when I first moved to Forks.

Edward wasn't fond of the idea of me working shifts with Mike, even though he knew that I've already tried everything I could think of to discourage Mike's attention. Was it my fault that me and Edward were still very much committed to one another while his and Jessica's relationship fizzled out at the end of July?

Besides, Edward was the one who insisted that I go to college—if, of course, I didn't convince him to change into a vampire like him first—and any good school cost money. I'd already point blank refused to allow him to pay for my school; if I had to go, I would pay for myself. In a small town like Forks, jobs were hard to come by. I was lucky that the Newton's had an opening in their shop, and I was appreciative that Mike talked his parents into giving me the job despite my lack of experience—but that didn't mean that I liked him as any more than a friend.

Sometimes I wished that I had Edward's gift, that I could hear exactly what people were thinking. It would be so much easier then; I'd know exactly how to respond to certain people so they didn't get any silly ideas—like the idea that I could ever care for someone more than I cared for Edward.

Then again, whenever I made that same wish, I only had to remember just how often I reminded Edward that he didn't always want to hear what people were thinking. If I was being honest with myself, I know I wouldn't.

It took Mike a few seconds to process the scene in front of him. It wasn't the first accident that I'd had at Newton's Outfitters, and I was grateful that the merchandise the store stocked was so durable. Not even the golf clubs were dented.

He shook his head slightly as a knowing smile came to his face. He—and most of Forks, probably—knew just how big a klutz I was. "Oh, Bella. What am I going to do with you?"

"Well," I said, a little annoyed at the way he seemed so innocently condescending, "a band-aid would be nice." The blood still hadn't dried completely and I knew I should clean myself up. I couldn't leave my arm the way it was.

It wasn't my intent, but my comment wiped the smile right off of his face. His blue eyes darted back to my arm. They widened in belated realization when he saw the cut. "You don't like blood," he remembered.

That was an understatement, but I didn't have the heart to correct him; as it was, I felt guilty for being snappish when I was only really bothered by my clumsiness. The urge to get sick wasn't as strong when it was my own blood—I cut myself too often, anyway—but I didn't feel like explaining. I'd be better off letting him cling to the image of me back when I got sick during blood-typing in biology.

"No," I agreed, covering my arm with my hand again. Even though it was my blood, I'd feel a lot better over all once I was bandaged. "Where did your mom keep the first aid kit again?"

"Here, let me get it for you," he offered, trying to be helpful. "I'll be right back." He flashed me a large grin before hurrying off towards the front counter.

While he was rummaging around one of the drawers at the end of the cashwrap, I pulled my hand back. The blood had finally stopped; only a drop remained to smear on the inside of my palm. It wasn't much and the red faded to brown almost instantly. I knew I should go to the employees' restroom and wash it off but I decided to wait until Mike returned with my band-aid. I needed to rinse my cut out too.

Besides, I still had quite the mess to clean up. Bending down, I started to gather up all the merchandise that had fallen to the floor. On closer inspection, I verified that none of the stock had been damaged. I was glad—I wouldn't have been able to pay for it if it had.

I loaded my arms more carefully this time in order to make sure that I didn't drop any of it again. I wasn't sure the compass would survive another fall. I must've groaned under my breath or something when I added the boots to the top of the pile because Mike's head shot up. He'd been searching through the open—and nearly empty, I thought guiltily—first aid kit.

"Bella!" he cried, and he sounded alarmed. I almost wanted to turn around and see what was behind me that made him sound like that because it had to be something. "What are you doing? Don't worry about picking that up. Let me get it for you!"

He took a step away from the counter, but I shook my head. Edward always treated me as if I was so delicate; I didn't need Mike doing it too. It was just an armful of stock. I could manage by myself as long as no more wayward peg hooks jumped out into my path.

"That's okay, Mike," I told him. "Your mom told me to put all this onto the counter so we can make price tags for this stuff. I can do it."

"Oh," he answered, looking a little put out. I guess I'd prevented him from playing my knight in shining armor. He waited until I stumbled forward towards the counter before holding out the band-aid he'd found for me. "Here you go. It's one of those small ones… you know, the ones for papercuts… but that's all that was left in the first aid kit. It should work, don't you think?"

He really did remind me of a puppy dog, always eager to be rewarded. After I set all the product down at the far end of the cashwrap, I accepted the band-aid from him, smiling as I did so. His smile immediately returned to his face. "Thanks, Mike."

"My pleasure."

I smiled again, a little less wide than before, and started to head towards the break room on the other end of the store. The bathroom was in there and I still wanted to wash my hands. I'd only taken a couple of steps, though, when I realized that someone was definitely following me. The hair on the back of neck was standing up; my stomach seemed to tighten as I tensed.

Whirling around, I found Mike standing right behind me, surprised at the way I'd turned on him. I relaxed at once, but I frowned. "Yes, Mike?" I asked, sounding colder than I meant to. Then again, I wasn't the one sneaking up on somebody else.

"I was just wondering where you were going."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I'm going to the bathroom." Then, lifting the band-aid up so that he could see it, I told him, "I need to go clean out my cut and wash my hands. Is that okay?" I had the sudden desire to be away from him. Sometimes Mike could be too much.

"Oh, yeah. Sure thing, Bella," he nodded. "I'll just wait for you over there."

I was just about to suggest that he go and help some of our customers when I noticed that we didn't have any at the moment—the store was empty. I guess I'd frightened the fishing lure guy off with my clumsiness. Instead, I said, "Sounds great, Mike. I'll be right back," before hurrying away.

It didn't take me long to reach the door marked "Employees Only"; even though I'd walked quicker than I normally did to reach it, I only stumbled once. I was quite impressed with myself—I'd moved at a pace closer to a trot than a stroll and I didn't even fall.

The break room for the employees was a small room, but it was cozy. There was a table in the center of the room with a scattered pile of hiking magazines tossed on top; the Newtons encouraged their staff to know as much about the product they carry as was possible. Those magazines could be lifesavers, especially to someone who heard the word 'hike' and thought the word 'disaster'.

A large, lumpy two-seater sofa was up against the far wall and, currently, my bag and Mike's hooded sweatshirt were occupying it. There was even a tiny portable television set up in the back in case one of us wanted to watch something while we were on break. I've never turned it on.

The bathroom door was on the opposite side of the entryway to the break room so I just walked straight across towards it. Mrs. Newton cleaned it regularly, and I wasn't nervous about walking into an unknown bathroom anymore. It was just as nice as mine was at Charlie's; nicer, because it was bigger without having the addition of a shower, though it did have two personal stalls and three sinks.

There was a pump bottle of antibacterial soap sitting on the edge of each sink. It had a nice vanilla scent, and I probably pumped more into my hands than I needed. Rubbing my hands together leisurely, I let the lather build until there were bubbles on my palms. I was taking my time purposely; my shift was almost over and I didn't really feel like talking to Mike. Lately he'd been watching me with that sad puppy dog expression again, and I couldn't take it anymore.

I waited until the soap had almost dried before I rinsed it off. There was no sign of my accident left on the inside of my hands and, I gave my palm an experimental sniff, they smelled very summery. I liked it.

Giving the pump bottle another push, I gathered another amount—smaller, this time—of soap into my hands before transferring it to my scratch. It stung again, more than it did before, but I knew the ethyl alcohol in the soap was doing the job. I didn't want an infection because I was careless, and I sure didn't need another scar.

Once I was thoroughly cleansed, I realized that I had stayed in the bathroom longer than I probably should have. Mike was probably worrying where I was. Quickly, I reached for one of the rough, brown paper towels and dried both my arm and my hands. Wet hands were murder on a dry band-aid, I knew that.

As soon as the bandage was stuck in place, I lifted my head up and away from my arm, brushing a piece of my hair out of my face as I did so. A sliver of the mirror in front of me caught my eye then and, without even meaning to, I lifted my head higher and glanced right into the reflective glass.

The lighting in the small bathroom was rather dull but I was able to make out my reflection clearly in the rectangular mirror. I regretted it almost immediately.

A plain pale girl, entirely ordinary, was staring back at me. With a heart-shaped face, long brown hair and wide brown eyes, her features—my features—were average; attractive but unassuming. The girl in the mirror was slender but definitely not athletic. Luckily for me, the light was not strong enough to highlight the many cuts, scars and bruises that covered my skin at any given moment.

For a moment I imagined that there was a grey strand nestled among the brown but it must have been a trick of the light. After a frantic ten second search for the offending hair—thank goodness, it wasn't there—I decided to push that thought aside. My birthday wasn't for another month. I would worry about growing older then—if Edward hadn't already solved that dilemma for me first.

As I gave my band-aid one last pat, making sure that the adhesive was stuck to my skin, I let my thoughts settle on Edward.

He was so beautiful, so perfect… and he was mine. Even after all this time, I still had a hard time remembering that. His hair, bronze-colored and so handsomely untidy, was remarkable and his sculpted, angelic face so remarkable that I was quickly running out of synonyms for it. I'd decided long ago that I liked godlike, and I usually went with that. Edward was, to me, a god.

And yet…

And yet, he chose me. He told me that he loved _me._ This beautiful creature, frozen in time so that his loveliness will never fade, decided that, more than anything, he wanted to me with me.

I glanced back in the mirror, and I still couldn't see what he sees in me. I was so utterly plain when compared to his luster—what was it about me that made him want to stay?

I tried to push that traitorous thought to the side, too. As long as he was with me, I wasn't going to waste my time wondering why. Who knew how long it would take before Edward realized how much better he was than me, before he left me alone… I was going to relish every second I had with him until then.

Instead, I thought of Mike, and the way he'd taken to styling his hair lately, gelled and carefully styled in a state of casual disarray. It was very easy to see where his inspiration came from. But comparing Mike to Edward was like comparing a paint-by-number to a Van Gogh. Only one of them was truly beautiful to me; the other was just another one of the ordinary masses.

The comparison between Edward and Mike was enough to make me laugh as my pensive moment of reflection passed before I could dwell on it any further. I was still chuckling under my breath when I headed back onto the sales floor. Mike was waiting behind the counter, but the merchandise I'd set at the end wasn't. Despite my intent, I didn't think that I'd spent _that_ long in the bathroom but, by the time I joined Mike at the cashwrap, all the product had been priced and put away.

"Is everything all right?" Mike asked, casually turning his back to the store so that he was leaning against the register, facing me. "I got worried for a moment there. I thought you might've fainted on me in the bathroom."

His tone was friendly and playful as he attempted to start a conversation. I wondered if that was why he made sure that my work was done when I returned. How else would I be able to stand around and chat with him?

I rolled my eyes at him as I shook my head. I had to give him credit—he was really trying to be my friend. I just wished there was a way to define our relationship—our friendship—for him without sounding like I was utterly obsessed with Edward. I was, of course, but I didn't need Mike to know how much so.

"Oh, I did, Mike. I blacked out and I was lying on the floor until water from the sink overflowed and splashed me in the face. I tried to clean it up as best I could but… say, do we have a mop?"

The look on his face was priceless. For a second, I think he actually believed me. Then his brow wrinkled and his eyes narrowed on me; all the same, he didn't lose the humor that was inherent to his baby face. "Are… are you serious?"

I couldn't keep my face straight. "Do I look wet to you?" I asked, chuckling as I gestured to my dry clothes.

"Ha ha, Bella. That was _so _funny."

"I know."

It was nice to know that, even after being Forks for eight months, I hadn't entirely lost my sarcasm.

Mike, I could tell, wasn't really sure how to react. In the end, he decided to change the subject entirely. Rather than return our talk to my earlier accident, he had something entirely different to talk about instead.

"So, I was thinking while you were in the bathroom," he said, and something about the way he said that set off warning bells in my head. "It's the first week of August already. Were you planning on taking an actual vacation this summer, Bella?"

I sighed in relief, a tiny rush of air that exhaled before I could control it. I don't know what I'd been expecting but a discussion about summer vacation was not it. This was a much safer topic to talk about. "Not really. It's strange, but I usually spend a month every summer with Charlie," I told him, referencing my father. "Now that I live with him here, I didn't make any plans to go somewhere else. My mom's in Florida but…"

I wasn't sure how to end that sentence. There was no way I could tell him that I didn't want to leave Edward behind for even a day, just as I couldn't mention that, should Edward come with me to Jacksonville, his vampire skin would glitter like a diamond the instant he stepped into the abundant Florida sunshine.

Mike didn't need me to finish; he was already too busy planning what he would say next. In that way, he was just like Jessica Stanley. I couldn't imagine why the two of them had split up; in my opinion, they were perfect for each other.

"Oh, that's too bad. But, you know, if you change your mind… you just let me know." His grin widened. "Don't forget, I have a bit of pull with the owners here. You need some time off, I'll make sure you get it." Suddenly, his grin wavered a bit. "Not that I want you to leave, or anything. It's just… everyone needs a vacation every now and then, right?"

I felt a little bad for Mike. He really was trying so hard. "Thanks, Mike," I said, making my voice sound warmer than before, "but I don't think I'll need to take some time off yet. Besides, I just started working here."

"Are you sure, Bella? I mean, if you really wanted to get away from beautiful Forks, I don't think anyone would blame you," he said, laughing to himself as he did so. I remembered that Mike originally hailed from California; he was probably as troubled by the constant cloud cover over Forks as I was. However, if it meant that I could spend every day with Edward, inside or out, I wouldn't mind if the sun disappeared forever.

I joined in on his laughing. It was kind of catching, especially since I'd been able to hold a conversation with Mike Newton for once without feeling guilty that I was in love with Edward. "I know what you mean, Mike. I've never seen so much rain before in my life."

"My dad told me this summer's been one of the rainiest on record."

"I believe it." Just like they way I thought of beaches, summer was supposed to be dry and warm. But, obviously, not in Washington. "I don't understand why none of us are walking around like wrinkled prunes."

"Actually," Mike began, and there was a twinkle in his eye. I was sure he was going to start telling me a story—he really was quite the storyteller, and the way he never wanted to stop talking helped the conversation continue—but, before he'd launched into whatever he wanted to say, his face seemed to darken. He frowned, glaring at something over my shoulder that I couldn't see.

It was strange. I was more alarmed before when Mike was following me. Now, though, when something was behind me and it was enough to incense Mike, I felt perfectly comfortable. I almost wanted to turn around and see what was there. "Mike, is something wrong?"

He shook his head before muttering, "Cullen."

My head swiveled immediately, my heart speeding up at the mention of Edward.

And there he was, striding in through the front entrance of the store. He lips were pulled into my favorite crooked smile and he looked absolutely gorgeous in a loose-knit grey sweater. Golden eyes shining in amusement at something that no one else could hear, no doubt, he walked with his head held high as he approached the counter.

"Edward!" I cried and just the sight of him was enough to send the corners of my mouth straight up. For the first time that afternoon, I really meant it when I smiled.

* * *

Author's Note: _Well, that was long. Whoo! And our favorite vampire finally makes his entrance :)_

_I know this chapter has a lot of thinking/analyzing and exposition but I'm trying to do this as if _this _was the sequel to _Twilight_, instead of _New Moon_. I hope it makes sense but, if it doesn't, it will soon. _

_I hope you enjoyed this and, well, if you did or didn't, I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks for reading! – stress._


	3. Seventeen

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes._

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Two  
SEVENTEEN

--

"Bella, love," he greeted me, his golden eyes almost dancing as they met mine. They were even more beautiful than they'd been when I'd left him this morning; he must've spent my shift out hunting. He had been a little cranky lately, and he never let himself go for long without quenching his thirst. I didn't fear him, but Edward had little to no confidence in his ability to resist my blood. "It's four o'clock."

I knew there was no need to question his announcement but I just couldn't help myself. My head turned and I glanced at the time clock screen on the nearest register. I smiled in amazement though this wasn't the first time that Edward had done this particular trick: as I watched, the clock flipped from 3:59:59 to 4:00:00. It _was _four o'clock—four o'clock exactly.

"Yes it is," I agreed, turning around to look at him again. I still couldn't get used to the extraordinary beauty of his features; as always, I stifled a tiny gasp as I took in his entire face at once. I'd been getting better and better at controlling my reactions around him lately but sometimes I failed miserably.

I'm sure he heard my gasp. At the very least, the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch merrily as he nodded over at me. "Are you ready?"

"Yup. I just have to run into the break room and grab my bag," I told him, gesturing over my shoulder at the room across the store.

"Let me get that for you," he offered and, before I'd had the chance to tell him not to worry about it, he'd started off towards the door.

Edward, courtesy of his superhuman speed, was beyond fast and I had no doubt that, if he really wanted to race over to the break room and retrieve my bag, he could have done so without anyone seeing him go. However, when he leisurely began to saunter pass the front counter, I knew that his aim wasn't to get my bag—he just wanted Mike to see him do it.

My hunch was justified when he seemed to slow just as he made it to where Mike was standing. His lips seemed to split into a winning smile right as Mike shook his head, an obvious pout on his face.

"Sorry, Cullen," he said, sounding anything but apologetic, "but I can't let you go back there. Employees only."

Edward spun slowly, trading his triumphant grin for a puzzled frown as he faced Mike. I envied his acting ability—he was able to act like he had no idea what Mike meant. "Is that so, Newton? Then I'm sorry too. I was unaware that you kept such a… _sanctuary _here."

He said it in such a polite voice that it took Mike a minute to work out what Edward meant. When he did, his eyes narrowed and he lifted his right hand. His pointer finger was stretched out in a warning. "You know what, Cullen? I don't think I like your tone."

I had to hand it to him. While no one in Forks—except me, of course—knew what the Cullens really were, there was definitely something that marked them as different, and I didn't just mean their unnatural good looks. Most humans could recognize the danger without fully understanding why they were afraid. Normally Mike, as easy going and as laidback a person as I'd ever met, was able to hide his distrust and dislike for Edward, never really showing how he felt.

But, for the first time since I knew both of them, Mike seemed to be challenging Edward. By the smirk that appeared on his face, Edward was amused by Mike's sudden growth of a spine. I had the feeling that he'd been waiting for a moment like this.

"Oh, really?"

I recognized the warning that was barely hidden in his musical voice. As much as it would be nice to let Edward knock Mike down a couple of pegs, I knew I couldn't do it. It would be too selfish of me.

I tried to be quick yet sneaky, which just meant that I nearly tripped over my own two feet as I moved to stand between them. Interrupting the boys, I said, "Mike, Edward, it's fine. I can go get it myself. I'll be right back."

Edward turned his gaze on me and I had to work hard not to let him dazzle me then and there. "Of course, Bella. I'll be waiting." Mike just huffed and busied himself with looking at some paperwork that was on the counter.

I didn't want to leave them alone together but I had no other choice. Since I was somewhat annoyed at their behavior, I didn't say another word to them. I stormed away towards the break room, purposely walking a path that took me straight between the two of them.

This time, when I stumbled, I caught myself just in time. The close call made my exit a little less than impressive, and I hoped Edward and Mike noticed how their stupid little exchange upset me.

If I was being honest, though, I wasn't as annoyed with Edward as I was with Mike. It was very difficult being angry at Edward; it was usually only possible when his eyes… and his smell… and, well, everything else about him was very far, far away. And, since I was reluctant to let that happen, Edward could get away with pretty much anything as I far as I was concerned.

But not Mike. He was just being stubborn, telling Edward that the break room was off limits to non-employees. Only last week I found a shirt that, unless Mike had some secret hobby I didn't know about, had to belong to Jessica.

Sighing, I pushed past the break room door, careful not to hit it so hard that I swung back at me—the last time I did that I ended up with a bruise on my shoulder in the shape of New Jersey. My bag was still where I left it, perched on the left cushion of the sofa. Grabbing it by the thick straps, I easily swung it so that it was resting on my shoulder.

There. _Now _I was ready.

Just before I left the room, I made sure to check the schedule that Mrs. Newton kept hanging next to the table, posted next to the bathroom door. It had only occurred to me that I wasn't exactly sure when I was expected back to work.

Since this summer really could pass as the rainiest ever, and in Forks that meant something, the outfitters business had been slow. I was only a part-timer which, during this lull, translated to two-three shifts a week; I wouldn't have to work again until Tuesday. Whether Mrs. Newton had done it or not, she'd given me the weekend off. Mike too, I noticed, thanking whatever deity was listening that he'd never had the chance to ask me what I was doing this weekend. Though I didn't know myself, I knew for sure that there was no way I could tell Mike about some of the things I did when I was with Edward and his family.

I could just see it now:

_So, Bella, what did you do this weekend?_

_Nothing really, Mike. I hung out with my vampire boyfriend and his vampire family. It stormed on Saturday night so we all went out and played vampire baseball. Oh, did I mention that the Cullens were vampires?_

Yeah, _that _would go over well.

Shaking my head, I readjusted my shoulder bag and exited the break room. Once I stepped out onto the sales floor, my were eyes drawn straight to Edward. He was still standing across the counter from Mike, his back to the other boy. Mike's pout was even more noticeable than it'd been before I'd left; Edward's humor had grown as well. I could only imagine what had happened in the few seconds I was gone.

I forced a smile to come to my face, ignoring the awkwardness that seemed to settle over Newton's Outfitters, determined not to let them make me frustrated. A quick glance out of the corner of my eye told me that the store was still empty, Edward being our only "customer". I was glad. I didn't like feeling guilty when I was leaving Mike alone until closing in a crowded store.

I ducked behind the counter briefly to sign my name in the payroll ledger, filling in the time and the date for my shift, before joining Edward on the opposite side.

He was chuckling under his breath as I said my goodbyes to Mike. He'd rested his hand lightly on my shoulder when I joined him, the gesture entirely welcome despite its slight possessive undertones. I'd have to remember to tell him exactly who was acting so jealous of—Mike Newton—and just how ridiculous his jealousy was.

"Enjoy your weekend, Bella. I'll see you… what, on Monday?" he asked, calling to me as Edward and I headed towards the front entrance. He seemed determined to have the last word with Edward present and I had to bite my tongue. If the two of them were going to keep this pathetic show up for the rest of the summer, I was going to have to insist that Edward wait outside when Mike was working.

I glanced over my shoulder, shaking my head as I answered him. "Nope, Tuesday. I'm off until then."

"Oh." It only took him a second to regroup before, "Tuesday, then."

"Tuesday," I agreed. "Bye, Mike."

"See you later, Bella," he said and I could hear the disappointment in his voice. It bothered me a bit but it wasn't anything new by now. I was beginning to think that, as long as there wasn't another girl to take Mike's attention away from me, I might have to deal with his misplaced affection. Really, how could he not see how much in love with Edward Cullen I was? I swear, there was a little pink heart that popped up over my head ever time I was around him. Mike couldn't be _that _blind.

Almost as if he'd just remembered my company, Mike nodded once at Edward. "Cullen," he said solemnly. The smile had vanished entirely, his lips thinned into a tight line.

On the contrary, Edward's smile seemed to grow. "Newton."

I wanted nothing more than to roll my eyes at their childish behavior. Mike, I could understand—he really was seventeen years old. But Edward? He may _look_ seventeen but it's been so long since he _was _seventeen that it was more of a memory than a state of mind for him.

I didn't, though. Instead, I settled with offering Mike a final wave before leading Edward out of Newton's Outfitters.

My annoyance must have been obvious by the way that I started to storm away from him as soon as we stepped outside. It was a cloudy day, overcast and grey though there was no sign of the rain that had threatened to fall all afternoon, but I didn't mind. If the clouds meant that I could spend more time with Edward—even if he was making things difficult with Mike—then they were welcome to hang around forever.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said once we'd made it outside, easily catching up to me in three strides, "but I couldn't help myself."

"I'm sure you couldn't."

He chuckled to himself. "He makes it so easy sometimes." His eyes brightened. "Remember when I told you that Mike loathed me?"

"Yes…"

"Well, he absolutely despises me now."

I rolled my eyes. Once upon a time I would have chalked his insight up to his ability to read people's expressions but now I knew better. As a vampire, one of Edward's gifts was being able to read minds. I was the single exception for him and that was a good thing. My thoughts revolved around him so constantly that I'm sure it would get on his nerves to hear my mind chatter about him all the time.

No doubt Edward had been listening to Mike's thoughts now. For just a second, I wondered what Mike was thinking that made Edward so certain that he hated him but then I figured it out for myself. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know that Mike was still jealous and it didn't help that Edward was egging him on.

I shook my head, frowning. "You really shouldn't be like that," I scolded, trying to sound firm and only succeeding in sounding like I was whining.

"Why not?" he asked, his tone still light. He found the situation funny. "It's this jealousy thing, remember? I still can't get used to all these human emotions. It's their fault that I act this way. Theirs and yours."

It made the butterflies in my stomach flutter to hear him admit to his jealousy, even if I couldn't really understand why he continued to feel such strong emotions concerning me. I felt my cheeks heat up as I mumbled, "It's not my fault, and, besides, you've got nothing to be jealous about."

"Yes, I do. I know what Newton is thinking." I heard the edge in his voice and I glanced up at him, surprised. A look of anger flashed across his angelic face, his golden eyes dark as he turned and narrowed his gaze at the store behind me. "He thinks about you, Bella. He thinks about you a lot."

My stomach dropped and I shook my head again. I struggled to bring a grin to my face. "Then it's a good thing that all I do is think about you," I told him, trying to sound playful. I couldn't even imagine what Edward had heard. I didn't want to know.

"You're always on my mind," he promised me, lowering his eyes and staring at me through his thick eyelashes. There was a fire in his gaze that made me very nearly squirm.

_Honk_!

The loud sound of an oncoming car broke up the seriousness of the moment. I jerked, my trance wearing off as I turned to see an old, beat up station wagon heading straight toward Edward and me.

I hadn't noticed it but, as we were talking, we'd stopped walking—we were standing in the middle of the road, halfway between the parking lot and the cement sidewalk in front of Newton's Outfitters. The station wagon was trying to drive down the street, blaring its obnoxious horn as it went in order to get us to move out of its way.

Edward snarled under his breath as he reached out—his arm moving so fast that I didn't realize he'd done it until _I_ moved—and pulled me protectively towards him. He didn't break his pose, but the middle-aged man driving the station wagon didn't need him to; I'd been the one in the way. The car didn't even bother to stop, swerving instead as it got close, jumping the curb as it sped right on by. I guess someone was in a hurry to get to the Thriftway.

There was another growl, low and rough. "Stupid human."

I must've tensed against him or glanced up at him with a strange look on my face because he suddenly relaxed, the hard lines on his face melting into an amused smile. "Not you, silly. I was talking about _that _idiot," he clarified.

"Oh. Just checking."

His eyes darted over to where the old car had parked crookedly into a spot across the parking lot and his smile dipped into a frown. I could tell that he was trying to hold onto his anger but, in the end, he wasn't able to. Shaking his head, he let my favorite uneven smile creep back into place as he leaned in to kiss the top of my head.

It dawned on me then that he was still holding me tight to him—and we were still standing in the middle of the road. I wondered if Mike could see us from inside the store and quickly decided it didn't matter. I placed my head against his solid chest. "I love you."

His only response was to breathe in, inhaling the scent of my hair, before sighing.

I grinned to myself and, when he finally let me go, I wordlessly followed him. I felt much better now, my annoyance a memory. Edward's earlier good mood had been restored; at the very least, the near accident had taken the focus of our conversation off of Mike Newton.

In an attempt to make sure that his attention did not stray back to Mike, I decided to bring up a new topic. "So, did I tell you that I have the weekend off?"

My tone was not as off-handed as I would have liked but Edward didn't mention it. "Not me, no, but I figured it when you told Newton you were off of work until Tuesday."

I cringed at the mention of Mike. I'd purposely tried to change the subject but we were right back where we started. Sometimes Edward could be so frustrating!

Surprisingly though—or not, since I'm sure he was my reaction—Edward continued, "Did you make any plans then?"

There was a playfulness to his voice that I couldn't mistake. As if I would make plans to do something that didn't involve him… We both knew how unlikely _that _was.

Still, I decided to play along. "I know Alice mentioned something about going shopping tomorrow." Alice was one of Edward's sisters, by choice if not by blood. She was another of the vampires in the Cullen family, and I'd been spending a lot of time with her since spring break. Unlike Rosalie, Edward's other sister, Alice liked me and wanted me as part of their family.

Not that that meant she was willing to go so far as to change me—that decision was up to Edward and he was still not budging on that issue.

Edward made a face at the mention of shopping. He may be a vampire but he was still a male. "Shopping with Alice?" he asked. "What am I going to do without you?"

He looked so lost that I had to laugh at his expression. He was acting as if we weren't already as inseparable as could be. "What? Eight hours at night and most of the day together isn't enough for you?"

"Twenty four hours isn't enough," he whispered then, reaching his hand out and placing it on mine. It was a gentle touch but, despite his feather-light contact, I could feel the iciness of his stone cold skin. Slowly, he ran his fingers up the length of my arm before running them down again, gripping my left wrist in a loose grasp when his fingers finished their journey.

I shivered, a quick chill running up and down my spine. I wasn't sure, exactly, what had caused them—either the sincere way he whispered or the intense manner in which he was holding onto me, as if he feared I would disappear, was a safe bet for my response. My heart was beating as fast as ever and, right then, I'd forgotten just what it was that he'd done that had made me so annoyed.

The moment was broken when Edward took a tentative step away from me, letting my hand fall softly to my side, concern written all over his beautiful face. "Are you cold, Bella?" he asked, already appearing regretful for reaching for me with his icy digits. He'd seen me shiver.

I felt guilty at his reaction. How could I explain that it wasn't his lack of warmth that caused my chills but, rather, the way he filled me with warmth? That I didn't shiver because I was cold but because I was excited?

I couldn't tell him that. Even though we'd been through so much together, I still felt a little uncomfortable spilling my heart and soul to him. Despite his constant assurance that he loved me too, I doubted I would ever feel truly at ease sharing my emotions.

Keeping my eyes down, I made sure not to meet his gaze. One look into his ocher eyes and he'd have me telling him everything I was thinking of; it was one of his skills as a "dazzler" and one that I preferred he didn't use on me. "No, I'm not cold," I told him honestly, taking the opportunity to reach out and grab his hand in mine. I never wanted to let him go.

"Me, neither," he murmured, lifting our hands up so he could place the front of my hand against his smooth cheek. Edward sighed. "So warm…"

I blushed then, and I'm sure the blood that went straight to my face made my skin even warmer. Embarrassed, while trying to make my being close as easy as possible for him, I fought to find something to take my mind off of how close he was to _me_.

"Um…" And then I had it. "Where's your car?"

I hadn't noticed it while we were walking and talking but Edward had steered me right over to the passenger side of my big red truck—but his shiny silver Volvo was nowhere in sight.

Edward lowered our hands, disentangling his from mine before he reached out and opened the door. "I didn't drive," he told me. That mischievous twinkle was back in his golden eyes.

Like the argument we seemed to constantly be having about him changing me, _this _was a familiar scenario. I stubbornly shook my head. "Uh-uh. Just because you didn't bring your car, doesn't mean I'm going to let you drive."

"Oh, so you finally remember how to get to my house?" he asked innocently.

I ignored his comment. Instead, I asked, "We're going to your house?"

"Of course. Charlie does not approve of you being alone with me without a chaperone, isn't that so?"

It was my turn to make a face. Charlie still hadn't forgiven Edward for everything that happened last March, no matter how many times I tried to explain that it was my entire fault, not Edward's. He'd come up with all sorts of rules when I returned from Forks and, to make matters worse, Edward actually _agreed _with most of them. "You know he doesn't."

"There you have it. Charlie's at work, but there's a proper chaperone back at my house."

"Esme's home?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, and she's busy working on something with Alice and Jasper." Leaning in, he pressed his lips lightly to my forehead. I barely noticed it when he reached in the front pocket of my pants and took out my car key. Drawing back, he winked at me. "Carlisle's at the hospital, which leaves you and I together. But," he added, as if he was making a valid point, "Esme _will _be somewhere in the house. And, besides, you can't argue against the fact that there will definitely be adult supervision."

"Says the hundred and four year old vampire," I muttered darkly, watching him laugh to himself as he walked around the front of the truck. My words lacked bite, though, and I didn't even mention it when he helped himself into the driver's seat. I guess I was used to being had by him.

* * *

Author's Note: _And here we go: chapter two, I'm excited! I'm still trying to set the scene and my interpretations of characterization with this chapter but there are definitely a couple of clues here (and in chapter one) to the plot at large. Next chapter should be even more interesting!_

_I want to thank everyone who has read this (and faved/alerted , of course)—your support of a fledgling _Twilight _fic is super appreciated. Special thanks goes to wildestoftales for reviewing the last chapter!_


	4. Cold

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. The lyrics included in this chapter are © 1962 to Wayne Cochran; no copyright infringement was meant._

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Three  
COLD

--

I joined him in the cab, making a minor display of discomfort as I sat in the passenger's seat. He watched me out of the corner of his eye and I could see that he was fighting back another laugh. Fighting and, for once, actually succeeding.

It was good to see him in such a cheerful mood. This summer had been the best of my life but I had to admit that there were times when his thoughts strayed to a place I'd much rather they not be. No matter how many times I pleaded with him and told him that I wanted him with me always, I knew that Edward often felt that his interference in my life did more harm than good.

The truck roared to life around us, the loud revving such a change from the quiet purr of Edward's Volvo that I almost jumped at the sound. He didn't give in to his desire to laugh but he did shake his head. I stuck my chin out in a defiant gesture. I liked my truck; the loud engine was just part of its charm.

It eventually quieted as we both knew it would and, as soon as the roar of the engine had finally died down, Edward shot his hand out and flicked the radio on. It was still set to an oldies station from the last time I let him drive my truck and, within the first few notes of the song, he recognized it and started singing along. His beautiful voice was low but clear, an almost hum as he harmonized along with a ballad I'd never heard before.

I didn't interrupt his singing, choosing instead to listen to him match—and, in my opinion, surpass—the voice of the singer. He knew every lyric to the song and, not for the first time, I wondered what lifetime he was remembering. Edward thought of the past in terms of music; were his thoughts back in the 1950's with this song, or in 2005 with me?

Now, I knew very well that Edward couldn't read my mind; as he constantly reminded me, I was the only exception to his ability. But, when he removed his hand from the steering wheel and reached for mine, offering me a small smile as he continued to sing under his breath, I wasn't all that sure that he hadn't known exactly where _my _thoughts were. He squeezed my hand gently, my heart skipping a beat at his touch. His hand was like stone, a hard granite that seemed to be carved to fit the contours of my hand.

I didn't mind the chill. It was a relief to feel his cool touch when his touch made me heat up like an inferno inside.

He continued to sing along to that song, and to the next one that came on the radio. The new song had a quicker melody and I found myself bopping my head along to the infectious beat. Edward's voice changed, too, sounding like smooth velvet that wrapped around my senses. It was nothing short of beautiful.

I loved listening to him when he was around music—whether he was goofing off as he sang along to the radio or he was serious, sitting hunched over his grand piano. The music was his passion and my pleasure; I'll never forget that first time he played my lullaby for me.

As we drove through Forks, I smiled to myself, comfortable with Edward at my side. These were the moments I treasured: just the two of us, content and alone, where the differences between us—him, a beautiful vampire, and me, a plain human girl—weren't so noticeable.

As he sang, he was stealing glances at me and returning my smile. I could never understand what it was he saw when he looked at me but it made me happy that, whatever it was, it made him smile. I would do _anything _to see him smile.

The second song ended then only to be replaced immediately by another. This song had a slower beat and, like the previous two, I didn't recognize it at all. The words were clear, though, and the singer's melancholy voice rang out through the cab:

_Oh, where oh where can my baby be?  
__The Lord took her away from me  
__She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good  
__So I can see my baby when I leave this worl—_

The music stopped suddenly as Edward turned the radio off. With a simple tap of his long, pale finger he made the truck go quiet. It struck me then that the reason I'd been able to hear the song so clearly was because he had not been singing along to that last song. I was curious. Had I finally heard a song that he didn't know?

I turned to look at him, to ask him about his reaction, but the hard look he gave the radio kept the words frozen in my throat. I couldn't understand the intensity in his expression. What was wrong?

My empty hand was colder now than it had been holding onto his. Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked down. I didn't like seeing that look in his eye.

"What are you thinking?"

He was trying to sound normal but his casual curiosity only sounded forced; he sounded, instead, like he was pleading with me.

It must be so hard for him, not knowing what thoughts were running through my head at any given moment. While it was definitely something I didn't mind, I could see how frustrating it must be for him. He actually had to ask me what I was thinking instead of just knowing himself, something he hadn't had to do since he was human.

That didn't mean that, because he'd asked, I was going to tell him. "Nothing," I lied. I shrugged and dared a glance up at him. He was staring at me, his golden eyes waiting. I sighed. Dazzler. "I was getting tired of the radio anyway."

His eyebrow rose. He didn't need any special gifts to tell when I was being less than honest. "I thought it would be nice if we talked," he said and I could tell that, while he meant what he said, there was much more to his reaction than his desire to talk to me. "We haven't really spoken since last night and, even then, you were the one doing most of the talking."

His finger was still outstretched from reaching for the radio dial; rather than placing his hand back in his lap, he leaned toward me and ran his finger along my jaw line. I didn't even bother scolding him for paying more attention to me than to the road. It wouldn't do any good—when it came to his driving, Edward barely listened to any of my complaints—and, besides, I was far too preoccupied by his gentle touch.

But not so preoccupied that I didn't hear the teasing in his voice. I groaned, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "I was talking in my sleep again, wasn't I?"

It was a habit I knew I had and, even when I knew that Edward was lying awake beside me in my bed, it was too hard to break it. During the nighttime hours I spilled more than enough secrets to him; at this point in our relationship, I wasn't sure I had many more to share.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, Bella. It's nothing that I've not already heard."

"Really? What did I say?"

"What you usually say," he said, wearing that smug look he had. "You told me you love me."

"I do." That wasn't too bad. I told him that I loved him all the time. "Anything else?"

Edward paused. There was another of his mood swings as his features rearranged themselves into a look of guilt. "You asked me not to leave."

"Were you leaving?" I asked, confused. I could be a heavy sleeper at times and it wouldn't surprise me to know that, in my sleep, I'd responded to him trying to climb out of my bed.

As a vampire, Edward no longer was able to sleep. Before I'd learned that he cared for me the way I cared for him, he would come to my house and watch me sleep. After we confessed our feelings, he started to stay over with my permission (if not Charlie's)—he still watched me at night, staying with me whenever he could. It gave him some peace, I guess. I'd gotten over my embarrassment that he enjoyed watching me sleep awhile ago. I slept easier when I knew he was there with me.

"No, I wasn't leaving." He paused, taking his time as he navigated a narrow turn with my big truck.

Unless I was being paranoid, it seemed like he was stalling; either stalling so I wouldn't question him or stalling until he'd come up with something else to say.

"Bella, I forgot to ask. How's your leg feeling today?"

I wasn't paranoid, I thought as my heart dropped. He was asking me about my leg which meant only one thing: he was thinking about the tracker again. And, whenever he thought about James and what happened in Phoenix, it was only a short jump until he started to talk himself out of staying with me.

Slowly, trying to be inconspicuous, I moved so that the crescent-shaped scar on my hand was out of his line of sight. I didn't want him to have any reminders of the vampire attack that almost took my life.

"It's fine," I told him. "It doesn't hurt anymore at all."

"Are you sure? Carlisle thought you might have needed the walking cast a little longer."

Carlisle, Edward's father figure, was the chief doctor at the local hospital in Forks. I trusted his opinion but even he had to know that four months with a cast was ridiculous.

Rolling my eyes at the way he was always so overprotective, I said, "I'm sure. If you want I can do some cartwheels for you. Maybe you'd finally believe me if I ran a marathon?"

"Do you really think I'd let you run a marathon? You'd come out of it with _two _broken legs!"

"I don't fall that much," I argued, though my heart wasn't in it. It was a lie and we both knew it.

He shook his head. "You are a danger magnet, Bella," he sighed, "your own worst enemy."

I was so glad that he'd moved the conversation on without mentioning Phoenix that I didn't even feel any shame or embarrassment at his words. I was trying my best to forget that spring break and I needed Edward to do the same.

Smiling, I shot back, "Well, then it's a good thing I have you around to save me from myself."

"But what if I'm not there?" The words were all but whispered under his breath. I'm sure I only heard them because he'd turned the radio off in the first place.

I don't think he meant for me to hear them but I did so I answered him anyway. "You'll always be here," I told him. "You promised."

"I can't always be where the danger is because there's danger wherever you go." Scowling, he added, "Even at that job of yours you get hurt."

It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about. I'd forgotten all about the cut I got back at the store. Self-consciously, I lifted my hand and patted the flesh-colored bandage on my arm. "I walked into a peg hook," I said sheepishly.

"Exactly." There was a triumph in his voice that did not last. It was quickly replaced by a mix of sadness and anger. "Is it really so difficult to keep you whole, Bella, to keep you safe?"

"In Forks it is."

Our tones were as different as night and day. He was getting frustrated while I was beginning to sound panicky. I wasn't surprised that my voice sounded like that—I hated it when he got this way. I was suddenly very desperate for this change in the mood in the car to go away.

Edward huffed and I knew for sure that he hadn't been kidding with me. He was serious and that scared me. First the talk about Mike, then James and now this…

I couldn't understand why it was such a big deal—I cut myself all of the time but, I figured, as long as I covered the injury with a band-aid that it would be all right.

That was stupid of me, I realized. Edward's sense of smell was so powerful that he could smell my blood in my veins. Of course he'd be able to make it out on the bandage. It was no wonder he'd been acting so antsy since meeting me at four. His cheerful attitude had been a front, an act—he was upset, not happy, and it was my fault.

And he wanted to take me to his house! Could I be that thoughtless to enter the Cullens' house and flaunt my fresh blood? My scent wasn't as hard to ignore for the others as it was for Edward but I knew that it was still difficult, especially for Jasper, the newest of his brothers.

I felt guilty, convinced that the small injury was the reason behind his upset. "I'm sorry, Edward, I didn't mean it. I understand if you want to just take me home," I offered.

He shook his head urgently. He still looked angry but, at least when he spoke, his voice was softer. "I don't want to take you home, Bella. You have to stay with me."

"But what about Jasper?"

"Jasper?" For the briefest of moments his eyes flickered to mine. There was something there I couldn't identify but I didn't really have the chance. His attention was back on the road in front of him before I'd even gotten a second glance. "Don't worry about Jasper."

And that was all he said.

My skin erupted into tiny goosebumps as a second course of chills ran up and down my spine—chills that, for once, had nothing to due with the proximity of Edward. I was certain that there was something he wasn't telling me, that something was wrong. And it wasn't just because I was so clumsy.

Rubbing my lower arm in a discreet way, hoping he didn't see the gesture, I looked out the window. I didn't want to be facing him when he lied to me. "Edward—"

He must've known that I was going to question him on his sudden mood swing because, before I had the chance, he interrupted me.

"Are you sure you're not cold?" he asked, barely taking his eyes off the road. In my experience, Edward could drive through Forks—at an excess of one hundred miles given the proper car, I must add—with his eyes closed; he didn't need to be staring ahead of him. No, he was only doing that now so he wasn't looking at me.

I felt my stomach drop as I sadly shook my head. "Yes," I said, almost whispering. The atmosphere in the car was suddenly far colder than I was.

He wasn't driving as fast as he normally did. In fact, a quick glance at the speedometer showed he was actually going much _slower_ and I doubted it was because my senior citizen of a truck was as difficult to speed up as Edward liked to tease. Still, I could see that we were heading in the direction of his home. He wasn't taking me to mine, so that was a good sign at least.

I didn't like how quiet he was being. I could tell that something was bothering him but it was obvious that he intended to keep it to himself. Rather than try again to ask him what was wrong, I kept quiet too. If he wanted me to know, he would tell me. Until then I would be as supportive as I could.

His grip on the steering wheel had tightened. I could hear the rustle of the worn leather has he squeezed it. I dared another look at him—his eyes were closed.

I had faith in Edward's driving ability, even if I would never admit it to him, but it was one thing to know he could drive with his eyes shut and another to actually _see _him driving blind. I couldn't help myself. I squealed.

There was a hint of a smile on his face as his eyes sprang open. There was a troubled expression within their perfect topaz depths, an expression he was trying very hard to hide from me. "Don't worry, Bella," he said, tapping his forehead with one long, pale finger. "Built-in radar, remember?"

"A radar, sure, but your eyes were _closed_. You can't tell me that mind reading will prevent you from driving straight into a tree," I pointed out.

He pretended to consider my argument before nodding. "That's true, and I didn't mean to do it. You could consider it as if I were resting my eyes, perhaps."

"If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you'd fallen asleep on me," I scoffed, my heart thundering in my chest. The truck hadn't swerved once in those few seconds but it was still a terrifying idea, for him to be driving with his eyes closed.

"Never," he grinned and the dour mood he'd been under seemed to lift slightly as he reached out and took my hand again. "Even if I could sleep, I wouldn't. That would be less time I could spend with you."

The warmth and honesty in his voice wasn't enough to make me forget the hard look on his face before, or the funk he'd been in… but it was a start. I tightened my grip on his hand. I doubted he even noticed the urgency behind the pressure. "That makes me feel guilty for having to sleep, you know."

He shook his head, the wind from outside the open window coming in to ruffle his bronze hair. It made him appear even more godlike and I had to repress another squeal. Gorgeous. "Please don't feel guilty. I wouldn't give up those peaceful hours with you for anything in the world. To be there, feeling your warmth, smelling your—"

"Blood?" I interrupted, teasing him. For reasons I couldn't really explain, it always made me feel nervous (and pleased, of course) when he started to talk in such an earnest manner. I loved him, I know I did, but it was almost as if he felt the emotion _more _than I did. The thought was an intimidating one. I couldn't imagine feeling more in love than I already did.

Not to mention that, whenever I thought about that, it turned my attention to one flaw in Edward's constant declarations: if he loved me as much as he said, then why didn't he want me to change, to be what he was? If he wanted to spend as much time as possible with me, why was he so convinced that I stay human?

I didn't know and I wondered why he wouldn't give me that answer. The only closure I had was that Alice had seen me as one of them, a vampire like the rest of the Cullens. If that vision came true—and I was hoping fervently that it did—then I guess it didn't matter how long it took for Edward to change his mind about changing me; it only mattered that he finally did. Oh, and that he preferably did so before September 13th.

Edward looked slightly taken aback at the way I was joking around with him. He did not see the way my blood tempted the vampire in him as a joke. I knew it was as serious as he thought but I couldn't treat it as if it was; if I did, then I had to admit that his killing me was, small or not, a possibility. If only for my own sanity, I had tell myself repeatedly that he would never hurt me.

For a few seconds I was worried that, considering the mood he'd been in since meeting me at work, I'd pushed it too far. It was difficult sometimes to remember the boundaries he'd set up for us. My enthusiasm—and my big mouth—often got the better of me.

But then he smiled at me, that uneven smile of his that had the ability to make most—if not all—of my worries disappear. "You do smell delicious," he admitted.

"Thank you." In the last few months I'd gotten used to being told how good I smelled. I just took it as a compliment.

I sounded so serious, so gracious, that it was impossible for Edward not to laugh in response. He did, a smooth chuckle, and the sound was music to my ears. He was slowly regaining his good humor, thank goodness. His thoughts were still elsewhere but, at least, he was here with me.

We spent the rest of the car ride in silence. He was obviously thinking about something and I was so relieved that he wasn't upset with me that I was a little afraid to say anything to make him angry. I settled with holding onto his hand if I were a vice. Nothing was breaking my hold.

The quiet was comfortable, though, and, before I knew it, we were turning down the hidden street that led to the Cullens' home. If I'd been the one driving, I would have missed it—a fact I conveniently kept to myself. One of these days I would win and he would let me drive _him _around.

The impressiveness of the large white house had not faded over the last few months. Every time Edward pulled up to it I was reminded of the day he took me home to meet his family. Nervous butterflies always returned, as if one day his family wouldn't welcome me in.

It was a childish worry but I couldn't squash it regardless. It was bad enough that I had Edward when I doubted I deserved him but to be so accepted by his loving family? I couldn't help but wonder when the dream would finally be over, because this new life of mine could only be a dream. It was just too perfect not to be.

There was one member of the Cullen family who was not as accepting of me as the rest. I appreciated Rosalie's ill-hidden dislike, even if I didn't entirely understand it, if only because it kept me grounded in reality. If this really was a dream, then wouldn't she be like the older sister I never had?

And she definitely wasn't; I much preferred Alice to Rosalie. I had to admit that it wasn't really that much of a loss to me when Rosalie and Emmett had left for Africa at the end of the school year. While I'd missed Edward's big, burly brother, it was a relief not to be on the receiving end of Rosalie's dark stare.

Then again, I found myself thinking as I gazed up at the house, maybe it could be a dream. Only in a dream could someone as absolutely gorgeous as Rosalie Hale be jealous of someone like me. Edward told me that her dislike was a cover for her jealousy but I couldn't believe that. So, I figured, either I was dreaming, or I was in Heaven.

Just then, as the truck came to a stop, an angel appeared.

Without me realizing it, Edward had turned the engine off, left his side of the car, hurried over to mine and opened the door for me. He held his arms out to help me out of the cab, a glorious smile at home on his angelic face.

Wordlessly, he lifted me out of my seat and set me gently down on the ground. I had no idea what he was thinking but he only hesitated for a second before pulling me close and wrapping his arms around me.

My heart stopped and I knew it then.

I _was _in Heaven.

* * *

Author's Note: _I'm going into New York City for the weekend to see Eddie Izzard's standup (whee!) so, instead of updating on Saturday, I spent a good chunk of yesterday and this morning writing the second half of this chapter out and typing it up. I'm becoming a little more comfortable with the characters – I wanted to use this chapter to set up the relationship between Edward and Bella at this stage before starting on the plot. I can't wait for that ;)_

_Thank you to Waste, MissHRF, LadyDesme and Aki (!) for their reviews! They were very helpful – and very appreciated! So, if you could, just spare a few moments and leave me a review with what you think. They do more good than you could ever imagine._


	5. Humanity

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Four  
HUMANITY

--

Edward never seemed to hold me for as long as I would have liked him to. I wanted to be in his arms forever; anything less was nowhere near enough. This time was no exception.

I don't know who sighed louder as he pulled back away from me. I'm betting it was me—Edward, ever since Charlie had been setting down his rules, had been very careful with our physical boundaries. He'd always been that way, since we'd first met, and I knew that he wouldn't change until _I _was changed. He was too fearful otherwise, afraid that he'd lose his control one way or another and he would hurt me.

It didn't matter how many times I tried to convince that I trusted my life in his hands, he was equally as convinced that he couldn't be trusted. Honestly, it could be very frustrating.

He did not let go of me entirely, though; he encircled my wrists with his ice cold hands. His grip was gentle yet firm as he started to lead me towards his house. I didn't mind. I would follow Edward anywhere.

As if he could tell what I was thinking, I heard him murmur, "You don't mind that we chose to come to my home, do you?"

I shook my head fervently. "Not at all," I promised.

He smiled. "That's good to hear." I felt him squeeze my wrists gently before freeing one of his hands. "I'm assuming you're still going to tell me you're not afraid?"

"You got it." I tried to give him a tug on his other hand but it was futile; I don't think he even noticed. "Besides, why would I be afraid?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure a household full of vampires never scared anyone."

I was walking behind him, he couldn't see me, but that didn't stop me from sticking my chin out in indignation. "Should it?"

As he reached out his pale hand, gripping the brass knob on the pristine, white door, Edward turned his head slightly. "What do you think?" Glancing over his shoulder, he offered me one of his winning smiles. The color of the front door had nothing on his teeth—they were bright white, outshining the dim sunlight. I could feel my pulse quicken at the sight, and it was definitely _not _out of fear.

I didn't answer him, but I didn't need to. He chuckled to himself before turning back to face forward. Without me realizing it, he'd opened the door and was already pulling me behind him into the large, open front room. As soon as he had, he reached behind us, closed the door and, before I could react, pulled me close to him.

He had his arms wrapped around me, his chin resting on the top of my head, as he let out a sigh of relief. I don't know what it was about being in his house, but the seclusion the Cullen home awarded him seemed to make him more relaxed. At the very least, some of the boundaries he'd set up seemed to blur.

Edward inhaled deeply and then I'm sure I heard him moan. His arms were tense, his hold tight, and I could imagine just how tempted he was feeling. Maybe that was why he was acting so moody today, I wondered. Maybe he was just thirstier than normal.

I wanted to ask him how his hunting went—without really checking up on him, I wanted to make sure that he wasn't making things more difficult for himself—but, as usual when Edward was this close, when he was being this affectionate, I found myself unable to do anything more than feel complete and total adoration.

He really was being affectionate, I realized as he nuzzled my hair with his cheek before letting me go. Not that I was complaining, but the last time Edward had been so hesitant to let me out of his embrace had been during that disastrous spring break—when James had been bent on killing me. It struck me then that perhaps my near-death experience in the parking lot might have something to do with his mood, or maybe he was just acting out that I refused to give up on the idea of working at Newton's Olympic Outfitters in order to raise money for college.

Either way, once Edward let me go, I debated with myself whether or not I should press the issue. In the end, I decided against mentioning it… for now. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at him and I was glad to see that his face didn't seem troubled; his eyes were alive again. Whatever had upset him on the truck ride over, I thought it was done. There was no reason to bring it up again.

Instead, I let my eyes stray from his face—it was tough—as I looked straight ahead of me at the front room.

It was a beautiful room and I felt the familiar feelings of awe and amazement—as well as the warm, fuzzy feeling at Edward's touch—that I usually experienced when I entered the Cullen's home. I took in the beautiful grand piano that was just off to my left, and the winding staircase beyond that. There was a figure on the steps, I noticed immediately, and she turned around as she heard our entrance. We weren't being quiet, so it was no wonder that we caught her attention.

Due to the caramel-colored hair I saw, I instantly recognized who it was from behind. Rosalie's hair was blond, even though I knew it couldn't be her since she was still on vacation in Africa; Alice had a wild array of black hair that stuck out energetically rather than hair that hung in waves down her back. Still, it was nice to see Esme spin on her heel, her warm, gentle face split wide in a welcoming smile.

"Edward, Bella," she greeted, gracefully descending the stairs as she approached us. "I wasn't expecting you so soon." There was a puzzled quality to her voice but her soft features and her warm butterscotch eyes didn't give anything away.

To my surprise, Edward didn't seem all that pleased to see his mother turn and head down the stairs toward us. The uneven grin he'd worn had vanished; he was frowning slightly. "Didn't you?" he asked, as his eyebrows rose. He didn't sound angry really, just frustrated, and I couldn't understand why.

"Of course not," she answered, acting as if she didn't understand why he'd ask such a question either. Her eyes were wide, illuminating her pale, beautiful heart-shaped face, as they flickered over to meet me. "Don't get me wrong, dear. We love having you over," she assured me and I could feel the sincerity behind her words. "I just thought…" Esme shook her head, her hair swaying with the motion, as she gave a little laugh. It was a high-pitched laugh, one that reminded me of a small bell tinkling, and it was very lovely. "I've had the house to myself today, you see, and I'm quite glad to have some company."

That was right. Edward had mentioned that Esme would be home—but hadn't he said she would be busy with Alice and Jasper?

Before I could say anything, he asked that question for me. "You're alone? Where's Alice? And Jasper?"

I know that, courtesy of his gift, he didn't need to ask many of his questions out loud. Since he could always find the answer in someone's mind, he only asked for my sake, so I could hear the answer too. I was grateful for his thoughtfulness; it must be hard for him to cater to the limitations humanity held.

"Alice…" For a second, Esme's eyelids dropped, as if she were thinking, before she met Edward's gaze again. "She and Jasper have gone out to run an errand for me. They should return shortly after Carlisle's shift at the hospital ends this evening."

"An errand." Edward nodded like he understood but I couldn't help but notice the careful way he spoke. "And Bella can stay?"

His mother almost seemed surprised that he would ask that question now. "Oh, yes. I wouldn't have it any other way." It may have been my imagination, but I think she was speaking just as carefully as he was. Not only that, but I also had the feeling that she was meaning far more than she actually.

This wasn't the first time I witnessed Edward having a silent conversation with one of his family members. I turned to glance at him and I was just in time to see the tiniest of nods.

I felt my stomach tighten. It hated it when he felt he needed to keep something from me. I just hoped he would trust me enough to confide in me when he was ready. He had to know I'd always be there for him.

Right?

I don't know where this paranoia kept coming from. I thought I was used to the camaraderie between all of the Cullens; how the decades they spent together meant that there was a level of communication between them that I couldn't even hope to understand. But to watch the two of them, Edward and Esme, standing together, saying nothing with words but, instead, with their manners and their eyes… it was very awkward and, not for the first time, I felt like an outsider.

"Thank you, Esme," he said formally, reaching out for my hand as he did so. "Bella and I are going to go upstairs. If you need us, just call."

I loved Esme. Despite the tension and secrecy that no doubt was permeating this room, she didn't respond any differently. She offered us both a motherly grin—and a knowing grin—as she nodded. "I'll be in and out all afternoon," she told us. "You won't have to worry about me interrupting anything."

My blush immediately returned and I willed it to disappear. Like Edward, Esme had been a vampire for a very long time. I hated causing her any sort of temptation and I knew the blood rushing to my face couldn't be making matters any easier. But, like the rest of the Cullens, she never said anything about it.

I felt his smooth tug on my hand and I saw that Edward was already heading towards the staircase. I gave Esme a small wave with my free hand. "Bye, Esme."

"Take care, Bella. Try your best to keep my son in line," she added, and I could see the humor in the tiny laugh lines around her mouth.

I grinned. I was still self-conscious but there was something about Esme that set me at ease. And, unlike Jasper's special gift, it was something inherent to her personality, to her nature, that made me so comfortable, not a manipulation of my emotions. "I'll try my best."

"Be good, Edward."

Edward growled quietly under his breath but it was more a playful sound than an aggravated one. I wasn't surprised. He may be a one hundred and four year old vampire, but he could still act like a teenager—and any teenager was prone to embarrassment when being discussed by his mother and his girlfriend.

I had to fight back the urge to laugh. I didn't think he would appreciate it very much.

He led my straight to his bedroom, though it was probably more correct to consider the room his lounge. There was, I knew, no bed inside because, of course, Edward had no need for one. Instead, there was everything inside that could keep him occupied during the hours when the rest of Forks was asleep.

Not that he needed all that anymore, I though with chagrin. Edward, for some reason, found it entertaining to watch over me as I slept. I just hoped it wasn't because of my sleep talking.

"So," I said conversationally, once he shut his door behind us, "what did Alice see?"

Edward's expression was priceless. It was a look of surprise mingled with disbelief, and a pinch of mild amusement thrown in for good measure. "And what makes you say that?"

I know he found it odd how comfortable I was around his family, how accepting I was of their individual quirks. To me, it was common knowledge—around the Cullens, that is—that Alice had visions. I'd actually been the subject of one or two of them myself. I understood that they weren't set in stone, that one small decision could trigger a wave of new scenarios, but there was one thing about Alice's premonitions that I was certain of: whether they came true or not, the Cullens—Edward, especially—placed a lot of stock in them.

If something strange was going on now, if Edward continued, despite his best efforts, to act distant and moody, it usually meant that Alice had had a vision. That, and that someone hadn't liked what he'd seen.

"Oh, I don't know. Just consider it a hunch."

"You and your hunches," he said, smirking. He was, I had to admit, a skilled actor; he'd rearranged his vaguely unnerved expression into one of smugness as if I wasn't anywhere close to the mark with my question. Which, I had to think as I watched him closely, must have meant thatI was right on the money.

"Well?"

He shook his head, his smirk a secretive smile now, before turning and gesturing towards his open room. One hand waved towards his massive collection of cd's on one side of the room, the other pointed at the inviting black couch. "What would you like to do? We have the evening to ourselves," he said slyly, I noticed, trying to change the subject.

It almost didn't work. I could tell what he was doing, that he was very obviously hiding something from me, and I was prepared to pester him until he'd gave me some kind of information. I don't know what it was, but it was bothering him, that much was clear. And I only wanted to help.

But, before I could even attempt to ask my question again, or state my concerns, I realized something. I had to go to the bathroom—and bad. When I washed my cut and my hands, I didn't bother using the restroom and now… now I was paying for it.

"Actually," I said, and there was a hint of bitterness in my tone. By the time I returned from the bathroom, I knew that Edward would have something figured out to keep my mind off of his strange mood. As I'm sure it would have something to do with his quick kisses, I didn't mind too much, but still. It was the principle of the thing, "I really need a human minute. Is that okay?"

He nodded, his expressions entirely victorious. "Of course. The bathroom is at the end of the hall."

I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. "I remember. Thank you."

"I'll be waiting for you."

My heart melted just about then. There was no way I could ever be angry at Edward, or even—as I noticed back at the store—that much annoyed. I loved him far too much and I would always be there for him, whether he wanted (or needed) me to be.

I paused at the doorway, my hand on the handle. I turned around and, aware of the faint blush in my cheeks, I said, "I love you."

"And I adore you, my love."

I knew, then, that any chance I had to get him to tell me the truth was gone. I was just going to have to wait until he decided to tell me. Though my stomach was squirming from the earnest way he told me he loved me, and the urge to go to the bathroom, it felt heavy that Edward was—whether it was something important or trivial, I didn't know—consciously keeping something from me. I hated that he felt the need to keep secrets.

Curse my human tendencies! When I finally convinced him to change me, I'd never have to worry about losing another argument with him again because of a full bladder. He would just have to rely on his charm and his ability to dazzle me into submission.

I found the bathroom easily, as I've had to use it more than once since I started coming over to the Cullen home regularly. I remember how, at first, I was so amazed that the house actually _had _a bathroom. But then Edward had reminded me that, even though they didn't need a toilet, a shower was quite essential when one had to wash fresh animal blood off of them. Also, he had added in a mocking tone, it was quite difficult to find a large house with as many rooms as they needed but no bathroom on site.

I hadn't been positive if he was kidding or not but I'd let it drop that day. I was too glad that there was actually a working bathroom in the house—there were times when I sure needed it. This was one of those times.

Like the rest of the house, the bathroom was spotless, a sparkling clean. It put my bathroom back at Charlie's house to shame.

I didn't take long, though. Normally I marveled on how beautiful the room was, with the shockingly white porcelain tub, and the ornately carved marble countertops near the sink. But not today. I was in too much of a rush to finish my business, wash my hands and get back to Edward.

So preoccupied with getting back to him as soon as possible, I didn't even bother wiping my wet hands on the fresh hand towels perched on the counter. I wiped them absently against my pants, not even noticing the wet marks that were left behind.

However, when I scurried back down the hallway and entered Edward's bedroom through the open door, a quick glance around the big room told me that my effort to hurry had been wasted.

The bedroom was empty. Where had he gone?

"Edward?"

"Bella," he said softly, appearing behind me so quickly that I only had enough time to let out a small gasp as my damp hand reached up to pat my currently palpitating heart. He smiled at my over-the-top response. A smile, I noticed, that barely reached his eyes. "I'm here."

"Where did you go?" I demanded. I thought he was supposed to be waiting?

"Downstairs," he answered promptly. "Esme called to me when you were in the bathroom."

"Really? I didn't hear her." I realized how foolish I sounded as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I guess, for a minute, I'd forgotten who I was talking to.

Edward seemed amused. He tapped his forehead with his pointer finger. "Of course you didn't. She wasn't very loud."

I felt my cheeks heat up so, rather than dwell on my embarrassment, I tried to keep the focus off of me. "What did she want?"

"Carlisle's leaving the hospital a little early today. She was wondering, since I'd picked you up from work and brought you straight here, if you were hungry. Carlisle is willing to bring some human food over for you, if you'd like it."

"Human food?" I wrinkled my nose, thinking of the Cullen family's diet. As much as I wanted to be a vampire like Edward, I doubted I'd ever consider the blood of a mammal more of a treat than a Snickers bar. I shook my head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm really not that hungry." I neglected to mention that, when I was around Edward, the fluttering butterflies that lingered left little room for a meal.

"Are you sure? I could even attempt to cook something for you, if you want," he offered. "We do have a kitchen as well as a bathroom here."

It was nice to hear the concern in his voice, even if he added a touch of his own smugness to it at the end. I tried not to look too taken aback at the idea of Edward cooking. I couldn't see him being any better of a cook than Charlie.

"I'm sure," I told him. "I'll wait until I get home, then I'll eat dinner with Charlie."

"Assuming, that is, that I _let _you go home to Charlie," he teased.

I put my hands on my hips. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" Flashing me his uneven smile, Edward lowered himself into a mocking crouch. He looked up at me, gazing at me from behind his thick fringe of eyelashes. "Do you care to stake a wager on that?"

He didn't even give me the chance to continue in our little charade. After letting out one small, playful growl, he pounced. He moved faster than my eyes could follow and, the next thing I knew, he'd swept me up in his arms and threw himself at the black couch one the opposite end of his bedroom. As he always did, he wrapped his arms around me, keeping me safe. Except for the iciness of his touch, I felt nothing but happiness.

Edward was happy, I was happy—and I was pretty sure it wasn't going to last much longer. I don't know what it was, but something was going on. I just wished I knew what it was.

We landed on his couch, with me lying on top of him. Even if I wanted to move from my place, I knew I couldn't. His hold was ironclad and I let myself melt against him. His chest was hard and cold but inviting in his own way. I couldn't think of any other place I'd rather be.

I sighed happily against him, and he chuckled. "What?" I asked, not even bothering to lift my head. I didn't want to be stolen from this moment—I was going to cling to for as long as I could.

"You really are quite warm, you know."

"A body temperature of close to a hundred kind of does that to a girl," I answered, rolling my eyes. I sounded testy but there was nothing I could do about it. I knew what he was doing, constantly reminded me of my human attributes. Talking about using the bathroom, eating food and being so warm… when was he going to learn that I knew all about being human? And understand that, more than anything, I wanted to be a vampire like him?

He chuckled again, rubbing his hand up and down my back. I noticed that he took great care to keep his hand outside of my shirt so that he wasn't actually _touching_ me. "It feels nice, Bella."

"That feels nice, too."

"Good."

He kept up a steady rhythm, alternately rubbing and patting my back as he hummed under his breath. He was—at the moment, at least—content, even if he was trying to lull me to sleep. It could have only been an hour since I left work; it was probably five o'clock or so, nowhere near bedtime. But I didn't mind. It was relaxing, and I closed my eyes.

I didn't fall asleep but how long the two of us lay in that cozy position I wasn't sure. It had to be a good amount of time because, through the open window behind us, I could tell that the sun must have set; it was much darker now than it had been when we first arrived.

Suddenly, Edward went tense underneath me and his hand stopped in its rhythm. He exhaled briskly and, in his next move, lifted me up gently and set me beside him on his couch. Slowly, he pulled himself into a sitting position, but he didn't say anything.

I couldn't understand what he was doing. "Edward, what's wrong?"

His eyes opened and there was a fire in their golden depths that almost frightened me, it was that intense. "They're home."

I gave him a puzzled look. Maybe I was sleepier than I'd thought. "Who? Alice and Jasper?" I asked. "Didn't Esme say that hey weren't going to be home until Carlisle finished with work? What time is it?" I struggled to get to my feet, slightly panicked. "Is it really that late? Charlie's gonna kill me if I stayed out all night!"

"It's all right, Bella, calm down. It's not Alice and Jasper," he said quickly, his musical voice strained for once. There was almost a grimace on his face and, as my momentary panic flare-up faded, I had to wonder why he looked upset.

"Who then? Carlisle?" But it couldn't be Carlise—he'd said 'they', hadn't he?

He had. "No. Rosalie and Emmett. They're back."

My breath caught in my throat, I was that surprised. Edward's brother and sister—Emmett and Rosalie—had left not too long after the conclusion of their countless senior year of high school. While the story was that they had left to prepare for the following semester at Dartmouth, I knew better. They had taken a trip to Africa; as a married couple, they had been after some alone time together now that their stint as high school students had ended.

The Cullen house had seemed so empty without them, even if I secretly preferred being in a home that didn't have Rosalie in it. I know it's a horrible thing to think about Edward's sister, but it was nice not to have to worry about being around a dangerous vampire that disliked me. I was certain that Rosalie would never do anything to hurt me because she wouldn't want to hurt Edward that way—not to mention that I honestly didn't think she cared enough about me to do so.

"Were you expecting them back?" I asked, bewildered. Had he mentioned it and I'd forgotten?

He turned his head away from me, staring at his closed door. It took him a few seconds before he answered me. "No." He paused. "Not really."

"Not really?" What did that mean?

Sighing, he lowered his head. "Alice might have seen something."

I _knew_ it. "What did she see?"

Edward shook his head as he stood up. He didn't look behind him as he held out his hand for me. I took it without a word, waiting for him to answer my question. He'd been sneaky before, changing the subject before I got him to answer my question. I wasn't going to let him off so easy this time. "Nothing much," he said, finally. "It might've been a glimpse of them in the house but I only saw it through Alice's mind, so I'm not entirely sure. We'll learn more if we meet them downstairs."

I prided myself that I knew Edward well enough by now to tell when he was being less than honest with me. This was definitely one of those times. Why was he acting this way? "But—"

He turned around then, unleashing the full power of his hypnotizing eyes on me. I never had a chance. "Come, Bella. Let's go say hello."

I just nodded, nodded and, as I followed him out of his bedroom, hoped that, before this evening was out, I'd have _some _idea as to what was going on there.

* * *

Author's Note: _Well, here's the next chapter and it's a longer one, too. We're actually starting to get into the real plot of the story—yay! I actually changed the summary a little bit, too. Ultimatley, I hope for this to be a story about Bella and Rosalie's relationship (with a side order of Alice's quirkiness). I figured—without giving too much away of what's to come—that the summary should reflect that :)_

_Thank you to __Asrialth__, sillysun, MissHRF, flashter12 and CookieMonster for their reviews! It makes me so excited that people are actually reading this and letting me know what they think. I'm still trying to figure out my interpretations of Stephenie Meyer's characters and, as such, this is truly a work in progress. All of your support and comments help me more than you think :)_


	6. Homecoming

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Five  
HOMECOMING

--

Standing at the top of the stairs, I saw Edward's siblings before they saw us.

Not that that was all that difficult really. Emmett and Rosalie would stand out in any crowd, let alone when they were only standing with Esme.

Emmett was as big as I remembered, if not bigger. He seemed to fill up a majority of the front room but whether that was because he really was that massive or because his personality was so huge, I couldn't tell. His smile, as he gingerly embraced Esme, was so wide, so bright, that it could power a spotlight.

In comparison to her husband's bulk, Rosalie was very petite but I knew that was partly due to my perspective at the top of the stairs. In actuality, Rosalie was slim yet statuesque; she had nearly half a foot on my five foot four inches.

She, like Emmett, was wearing a smile at meeting her mother figure again. She looked absolutely gorgeous—I tried not to feel like an insignificant speck in the scope of her overreaching shadow—and I realized that I'd rarely seen her smile. If possible, it made her flawless face even more beautiful.

I had the sudden desire to turn around and hide in Edward's room until she'd gone away again. Whenever I saw Rosalie, I couldn't help but remember how he'd told me that she had been changed in the hopes that she would be his mate. Though he reassured me that he saw her as his sister only, it made me uncomfortable to stand so close to her. What if he was making a comparison between us and realized how woefully plain I was?

Not that everyone wasn't plain in comparison to Rosalie but still… no one ever said that jealousy had to be _rational._

I didn't have a choice, though. My hand was still in Edward's and, as if I offered no resistance—and I guess I didn't—he carefully led me down the stairs. We went slowly and I had to wonder at Edward's reluctance to seeing them.

We didn't announce our arrival but, as soon as we stepped down from the last stair and started to walk towards where Rosalie, Emmett and Esme were congregated just inside the doorway, we had their full attention.

"Edward!"

Emmett's roar was unmistakable and I could tell that he hadn't changed one bit in the time that they'd been gone. He clapped his brother on the back—harder than necessary, given his strength, but Edward didn't even flinch—before turning his big, goofy grin on me. "And Bella! You still here? Edward hasn't eaten you up yet?"

If it was anyone but Emmett who'd said that, I think my heart might've plummeted straight to my shoes. But Emmett was Emmett—a big ol' teddy bear. I knew he didn't mean anything by it and the tight hug he gave me cemented that belief.

I hadn't been expecting him to move, and I doubt Edward did either. At any rate, he didn't intercept Emmett but I'm sure it bothered him. He really did think I was that delicate and he barely trusted me with himself, let alone anyone else—including his brothers.

But Emmett was careful and, though it was fitting for him that he gave me a great big bear hug, it was no worse than some of the hugs my mother had given me out of worry. In fact, it felt nice that Emmett was so comfortable around me.

Now, if only Rosalie would feel the same way…

I dared another glance in her direction as Emmett pulled back and, his golden eyes twinkling in amusement, looked daringly over at Edward. I could imagine the argument that Edward would have with Emmett over his impulsiveness later on; I would have to remind Edward not to be such a worrywart.

Rosalie was standing still, listening to something that Esme was whispering in her ear. She nodded and I wondered if she'd even noticed that me and Edward had come downstairs. How could she not? Emmett was so loud in his greeting that I couldn't imagine how anyone—especially someone with a vampire's sense of hearing—could have ignored it.

It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would have that she didn't even look my way. Actually, her cold shoulder was much preferable to the hate-filled looks she used to give me. I'm a coward and a chicken—it was easier to handle being ignored than to feel like I had to answer to her glares.

On reflection, I'm sure she noticed that I was standing there. Trying my best to be sly, I watched her for a few seconds and I realized that, just as I'd expected, her smile was missing from her face. This close, I could also see that there was something different about her eyes. Like the rest of the Cullens, they were golden, a lovely topaz, but hers seemed almost cloudy.

I know I was staring. Rosalie, well aware of her supernatural beauty, was used to being watched at all times and I didn't think she would acknowledge my obvious gawking. However, as if she could feel the heat of my stare, her head snapped in my direction. Our eyes locked then and I felt my knees go weak. There was nothing but anger written on her face.

She only held my gaze for a second before she moved her head again and glared at Edward. If possible, her eyes hardened. Her jovial smile was nothing but a memory.

"So, Bella, how was it in rainy ol' Forks while we were gone? I see you haven't drowned, so that's a plus."

I heard my name and I realized after a beat that Emmett was talking to me. Almost reluctantly, I looked over at him. Behind me, Edward and Rosalie continued to, for no reason I could see, face off.

Emmett's smile hadn't wavered once and his happiness was almost contagious. "Rainy, mostly," I answered, shrugging my shoulders in a "what can you do?" manner. "How was it in Africa? Did you enjoy your vacation?"

I'm not an idiot. I knew exactly what Emmett was doing: taking my attention off of what was going on behind me. Esme had gone over to Rosalie's side and, again, she was whispering to her blonde daughter. Her voice was, to my ears, a high-pitched buzz; I couldn't hear anything over the roar of Emmett's voice as he told me a story about some vicious lion he'd had as a dinner date during their time in Africa.

For a second, I imagined Emmett, Rosalie and a full-grown fuzzy lion sitting at a table, sharing a meal of zebra and antelope. If I hadn't been so curious—or so worried—about what was transpiring between the three Cullens behind me, I think I might've burst out laughing.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Esme had moved to stand next to Edward. Her hands were moving in a calming gesture as she muttered something to him. What I wouldn't have given to know what she was saying.

The only thing I _did_ know was that Edward didn't seem to agree with her. He gave one stubborn jerk of his head, frowning as he glanced back at Rosalie, before moving forward. I felt his hand, cold as ice and just as hard, as he let it settle on my shoulder.

I took that as my cue to let my attention wander from Emmett back to Edward. Emmett must've known that his temporary role as distracter was through; he let his story trail to a close as he reached out his hand for Rosalie. As if she was made specifically to fit the mold of his body, she melted against his side.

All anger had faded from her as she hugged him but there was something else there, something I couldn't fully describe. This was much sure, though: I'd never seen her wear such an odd expression.

There was no denying the fact that something was going on, something I wasn't privy to. As he moved forward, almost standing in front of me as he put himself between me and Rosalie, I could see that Edward's jaw was set and his eyes seemed to be darker than they'd been since this morning, before he'd gone hunting. I could read his expression as easily as if I was able to read his mind. Whatever _was_ going on, he wasn't planning on telling me about it.

Not yet at least, I added silently to myself. I hoped he didn't think so little of me that he thought I wouldn't say anything about this strange afternoon.

My eyes were curious as I turned to look at him questioningly. He gave his head a little shake before clearing his throat. "Bella, it's getting late and I'm sure Charlie will be wondering where you've been," he said formally, and I nodded. I'd been expecting him to take that route. "Are you ready for me to take you home?"

Edward really could be predictable. I'd known this was coming and secretly I was glad. I was positive that Rosalie had not been pleased to see me in her home when she returned from her vacation and, despite Emmett's delight at seeing me and Esme's assurance that I was always welcome, I wanted to get out of her hair.

If I wanted to get any information out of Edward, it would definitely be more advantageous to get him alone. I was lucky that he wasn't just sending me off by myself. Not that I'd thought he would—he seemed to have this idea that I could get lost in my own backyard.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Okay."

I don't know what it was about me that gave my intent away but Edward tilted his head when he heard my answer. Narrowing his eyes and staring at my face, it was like he was searching for something. I tried to look innocent—we were still surrounded by a good part of his family, after all—but I'm sure I failed.

Edward chuckled to himself and, after a moment's hesitation, held out his hand. There, resting on his pointer finger, was the key to my truck. He nodded at it. "Here. I'll even let you drive."

Oh, he was good. He knew that I wanted to ask him about what Emmett and Rosalie's sudden arrival meant; he also knew that, with my attention on the drive back through Forks, he could very easily distract me from my questioning.

Well, two could play that game. "That's alright, Edward. You can drive," I said sweetly, grinning. It was a sacrifice—a big one—but it was one I was willing to make. I was curious and he was trying to hide something from me. So what if I let him drive my truck again?

Besides, the next time he tries to take my keys, I'll just have to remind him how anxious he was to have me drive.

Edward didn't argue with me. I'd almost expected him to but, instead, he flipped the key into the air before catching it quickly, folding his fist around it. I was nervous that he might have accidentally squished it but I knew better than to get too worried. He was very good at controlling his strength; after close to a century of masquerading as a human, he was a pro.

In fact, he didn't say another word. He _did _shoot a look at Esme over his shoulder and I could see that his eyes were still troubled, but he remained silent. I was sure that, whatever was on his mind, his family would know about it after I was home.

Which also meant that he wouldn't be staying over with me tonight, I realized. That made me a little sad but not as much as not knowing what was bothering him. I hated it when Edward had something on his mind, something he felt like he couldn't share with me. Despite his protests to the contrary, I was an open book. I shared everything with him—well, everything I could. Why didn't he feel the same way about sharing with me?

I guess it came down to the fact that, not only had he been a vampire for almost a hundred years, but he'd also been the solitary type for just as long.

He was waiting for me at the front door and I could feel the urgency behind his stare. I quickly said my goodbyes, addressing even Rosalie though I kept my eyes on Emmett. I made sure to thank Esme, as I always did, and I promised that I would see them all soon.

I wished that Alice and Jasper had returned from wherever they had gone. Every situation at the Cullen house was much less strange when Alice was around—and, of course, Jasper's special gift could be very handy when things went tense.

Rosalie remained silent and I wasn't surprised. No matter what Edward said, I couldn't believe that _she_ was jealous of _me_. Still, I knew she disliked me and I'd given up on ever hoping that that would change.

Emmett, he held his hand out, waiting for me to give him a high five. It took me a second to understand what he meant and when I, blushing as I did so, placed my small hand against his massive-sized one and gasped at the difference in size, he just laughed.

I didn't notice it before but I really _had_ missed him. It was good to see him back.

Esme wished me a good night and told me to make sure Edward got me home in one piece. It made me smile that she knew her adopted son so well—Edward's driving was legendary in the Cullen household, if only for the way that Alice found it funny for the way I often complained about it.

Edward's touch was light on my shoulder but I could feel it as he gently steered me towards the door. There was no use resisting him and I didn't even try. I waved my hand as we left, offering one last goodbye. I felt bad, leaving so quickly, but I'm sure there was no need to. They knew Edward well enough to understand his reactions.

I thought that he might try to convince me to drive again one we were outside but I guess his sense of preservation was too strong because he didn't. He just walked straight to my truck and opened the passenger side for me before finally letting go of my shoulder.

"In you get." He gestured to the empty seat with his hand, a mocking smile on his face.

"Thank you," I retorted, trying to sound peeved rather than grateful. I climbed into the cab without another word.

He stood outside of the truck for a minute before rolling his eyes and shutting the door for me. He didn't slam it, though; I took that as a good sign.

Before I'd even had the chance to blink, he entered in through the driver's side doorway. He glanced at me once—I turned my head immediately, not wanting to be dazzled right away—and then sighed. It was a low sound, a quiet sound, that was nearly drowned out by the roar of my truck. Something was really on his mind.

I noticed that, as he started to back up, Edward didn't turn the radio back on. I was grateful for that. The way I figured it, it would be easier to convince him to open up to me without the distraction an upbeat 50's tune could cause.

It was steadily getting darker out. It seemed that it was nighttime when we were leaving the Cullen property but, as soon as we turned onto the main road, I saw that it was twilight—Edward's favorite time of day.

I watched as he started to head back into town, my truck groaning in protest as Edward tried to push it too hard. Like always, he was in a rush and his impatience was noticeable. I felt bad for my truck but I knew it could handle the mild strain Edward's foot was currently causing the gas pedal; it was a real trouper.

The quiet seemed heavy, punctuated only by the occasional sounds coming from the truck. I wasn't sure how to break it—I wanted to start this conversation just so. If I didn't, it would be no problem for him to come up with a million and one reasons why not to tell me what was bothering him. I needed to give him the one reason why he shouldn't keep secrets from me.

As it turns out, I didn't even have to say anything first. He did.

"Something's on your mind, Bella, and I'm sure you're dying to share it with me." While smiling a smile that didn't go so far as to extend anywhere but his lips, he made a show of bracing against the steering wheel. "Go on, I'm ready."

I didn't appreciate the way he was acting so lightly: it was as if _I _was the one making a big deal out of everything. I had half a mind not to even bother trying to find out what had him so worked up…

Then I realized that was probably what he wanted. Hey, I knew all about reverse psychology—my dad was a cop, after all.

Just for that, I didn't even try to lead into a full conversation. Instead, I just blurted out the question that was on my mind.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

There, I said it. After all the concerns and worries I'd had since he picked me up from work, I think he owed it to me to answer that one simple question.

I just hoped Edward saw it that way.

He didn't say anything for awhile. Instead, he stared straight ahead, looking like he had on the majority of the ride over to his house. I almost didn't think he was going to answer me _again_.

But, thankfully, he did. "I'm… I'm not sure," he admitted finally, without a trace of humor. "I didn't want to worry you."

"I hope you know that, by not telling me all afternoon, I was more worried than if you'd mentioned that Emmett and Rosalie were coming back. They're your family, Edward. Why would I be worried?"

It was nice to see that he looked a little sheepish. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "I am truly apologetic."

He sounded so serious that I could barely hold on to my mild anger. I loved it when he spoke like that, when he sounded just like the gentleman he'd been at the start of the twentieth century. It was that, more than anything, that reminded me who I was with—and it fascinated me.

"You don't have to be," I said, trying to sound like I meant it. "I just… I just wished you could tell me everything. It's hard to feel like you're purposely keeping secrets from me."

"That was never my intent!" Edward suddenly sounded very angry and, I couldn't help myself, I let out a small gasp. He heard it and, when he spoke again, he was much gentler. "Oh, Bella, I really am sorry. I was very foolish, I see that now, keeping it all to myself. Esme wanted to let you know but I didn't want to upset you, or worry you even. I know how you care for Emmett, and I didn't want you to be hopeful that he was returning. As for Rosalie…"

"Just don't do it again," I said quickly, cutting him off. I knew my relationship with Rosalie was not one of note but I didn't actually want to hear Edward say that out loud. It's hard, hearing that someone so close to Edward could have such a dislike towards me.

"Yes, ma'am," he laughed, and the tense atmosphere that had settled over the truck was dispelled with the cheerful sound. The knots in my stomach unraveled then and I knew then that everything was all right.

Only one small thing was still bothering me. "I do have a question, though," I began, sounding both hesitant and curious. I knew I was pushing my luck but this was one aspect of his behavior I couldn't understand.

"Only one?" he asked, glancing over at me. His eyes were twinkling in the twilight. "I'm getting off easy tonight."

I ignored that. "Why does it bother you that they came back?" I knew that Edward was close to Emmett and he normally tolerated Rosalie, even if she wasn't his favorite sister. It made no sense to me that he would be so annoyed at their return.

Edward sighed, louder this time, and I felt guilty for producing such a sad sound out of him. I didn't want him to worry any longer. "It's… it's not that."

"Then what is it?" I didn't understand and I wanted so desperately to.

"Remember how I told you that Alice saw something?" He waited until I nodded before continuing, "She did, and she shared it with me. I was within range of her mind when we were driving to the house and I picked it up then. It wasn't definite, there were too many variables but…" He shook his head. "In the end, it didn't matter. Whatever their reasons, Emmett and Rosalie have returned earlier than expected. I just wish there'd been some warning to their arrival, something more than a flash of a vision by Alice."

I think I finally understood what he meant. At least, the way he was acting this afternoon made some sense. He'd been playful, even cheerful, when he met me at work; his sudden change in attitude _had _happened during the car ride. If he'd been seeing something that Alice had already seen, it was no wonder that it made him so antsy.

Edward, I knew all too well, did not like having only a few pieces of a puzzle; he needed to have the puzzle completed, glued together and framed.

Reaching towards him, I placed my hand on top of his. Maybe it would help if I tried to put things a little into perspective for him. "But aren't you glad that they _have_ come back?"

"Of course I am," he said quickly. I think he was trying to reassure himself more than me. "The house is always so quiet when Emmett is away, and the bathroom vanity always vacant." He grinned to himself at his little joke. "Rosalie must have missed her mirror while on safari."

I only just managed to bite my tongue in time. It wouldn't help the situation between Rosalie and me at all if I resorted to picking on her perfection.

And then, because I literally—even if I didn't mean to—bit my tongue to keep quiet, I let out a small cry. "Ow."

Edward laughed, even if I could tell that there was still some unexplained, lingering worries running through his head. It was a rich laughter and, if it hadn't been for the throbbing pain on the right side of my tongue, I might've enjoyed listening to the sound.

Instead, I frowned. "I'm glad I'm such a source of amusement for you," I muttered, more annoyed at myself for doing something so stupid than at him for laughing at my stupidity. At least it took his mind off of everything else that was bothering him.

"Aw, I love you, too, Bella."

If it wasn't for the fact that I was pretty sure that my tongue was swelling up a bit, I would have stuck it out at him. Maybe next time I wouldn't try to be so understanding. I'd spent half my evening worrying about what was making him worried and, not only did it turn out to be something kind of silly, but what was my thanks? I bite my tongue and he laughs.

At least we both got a little lucky. I _could _have made my tongue bleed. And that wouldn't have helped matters at all.

I kept my head turned away from him as he continued to drive. Now that he'd confessed, I almost wanted to tell him to pull over and let me drive the rest of the way to Charlie's house. Let's see how smug he was when I got back in the driver's seat.

Even though he couldn't read my mind, I'm sure Edward had no trouble figuring what sort of thoughts were running through my head. He was chuckling under his breath—I tried to ignore how the sound cause the hair on the back of my neck to stand up—and I could feel his eyes on the side of my face.

Then, gently flipping over the hand of his that was under mine, he intertwined our fingers. The rush of electricity that flood up my arm and touched my heart caused my minor pout to turn into a satisfied smile, no matter how hard I tried to hold onto it.

I turned and looked at him. His golden eyes were twinkling again. Shaking my head, I said, "You're impossible, you know that?"

The cheekiest grin I'd ever seen him give me split his face. "Oh, yes. I know."

* * *

Author's Note: _Well, at least we finally know what was bothering Edward – or do we? I, for one, think that Bella was appeased to simply. But, then again, she usually is when she's around Edward. We, on the other hand, have the benefit of seeing major flaws in his argument – right? I hope so… otherwise there really wouldn't be a story, huh? _


	7. Charlie

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Six  
CHARLIE

--

Despite Edward's protests that anyone could walk quicker than my truck drove, the trip to my house went far faster than I would have liked. Once the pain in my tongue seemed to subside, I enjoyed our time together. Edward had given in and turned the radio on; he spent the rest of the ride back through town serenading me.

I didn't want to see him go. I suddenly felt very childish—I didn't want to let him out of my sight. It had been so easy to forget in those last few minutes just how moody he'd been today.

I suspected that had been his intent, to make me forget, and it worked perfectly. I only remembered the scene back at the Cullen house when he pulled up to my house and killed the truck's engine. He wouldn't be driving it back home but I was pretty sure that was where he was heading off to.

I had to swallow the pout that threatened to form as I casually asked, "Are you staying?"

It made me wince to hear the slight pleading in my voice. And here I'd thought I was trying to sound cool, calm and collected.

"I really should get back."

But he didn't remove his hands from the steering wheel. Still looking straight ahead, he remained in the truck. I didn't miss the piercing stare he gave the darkness. I wondered what he could see. As far as I could tell, there was nothing out there.

I squinted a bit, just to make sure. It had been quite a while since the last time I saw Jacob Black and his father, Billy, at my house—in fact, I had the feeling that Jacob was avoiding me. After the way his father had sent him to crash my prom so that he could warn me to stay away from Edward, it didn't surprise me that he was too embarrassed to come back and visit me and Charlie in Forks. I was embarrassed for him, and I didn't appreciate the way that Billy—whether he though he was doing it for my own good or not—was butting into my affairs.

It was a shame, too. I liked Jacob. He was a good kid, someone I thought I could easily be friends with. It was a pity that his father's superstitions and unexplained (and totally uncalled for) dislike of Edward created such a barrier for a possible friendship.

I couldn't make out the car that Jacob had used to drive Billy over that last time they'd left La Push. In fact, between the hazy mist of the falling summer's night rain and the darkness that had settled over the sleepy town, I couldn't see anything except for Charlie's cruiser. That was parked in the driveway; Charlie, as if I hadn't known from the dark, was already home from work.

Finally taking his attention off of whatever it was that had captured it, Edward turned his head and followed my gaze. He saw Charlie's cruiser and nodded solemnly. "Charlie's wondering where you are."

"I never told him I was going to your house after work," I realized, feeling guilty all of a sudden. I automatically reached for the door handle. "I hope he's not too worried."

Edward's soft touch on my left hand stopped me from climbing out of the truck. "He's not. He assumed you were with me, but he's waiting with a head full of questions. One of which, I might add, regards a chaperone."

There was no mistaking the gentle ribbing in his tone. Edward was all too happy to be proven right.

"Then I guess it was a good thing that Esme was there to watch every move we made."

"Exactly."

Leaning to his side, he moved his torso slowly towards me. I remained still as he lightly, gingerly, placed his frozen lips against my neck. Pretending like he couldn't hear the frantic beat of my heart, or smell the rush of my blood as my pulse went crazy, he pulled back.

"It's glad to know we have our stories straight."

That incredible smell of his, coupled with his feather soft kiss, served to muddle my brain completely. "Hmm? What was the story again?"

He laughed as he lifted his hand to stroke my hair. "We were at my house today, remember? With Esme?"

"Oh, yes. _That _story."

I wondered where Edward's unexpected reaction to Emmett and Rosalie's arrival fit in with my story. I guess it was something that Charlie didn't need to know about—but it didn't mean that I would forget. I wouldn't, and I was pretty sure he knew that.

It took us a few minutes but we both eventually got out of my truck. I didn't want him to leave and I could only assume his dawdling meant that he wanted to stay with me. But he wouldn't… he couldn't. I understood that. For some reason or another, his place was back at his house with his family. Maybe then, after he'd had his say and Rosalie no doubt had hers, he wouldn't seem so preoccupied.

He joined me on my side of the truck, carefully wrapping his arm around my waist as we headed down the sidewalk that led up to my front door. He'd pulled me close to him and I was reminded of the way he'd searched the darkness when we were still sitting in the cab. What was he looking for?

As soon as we were on the porch, vaguely illuminated underneath the dim porch light, he finally let go of my waist. I missed his embrace immediately.

"Are you sure you won't stay?" I wasn't pleading this time. Actually, I sounded resigned. I had a hunch that, if I pushed it, he would stay but only because I really wanted him to, not because it was the best thing for him to do.

Besides, he could probably run back to his house, talk to his family and make it back to my room before I even woke up if he wanted to. I liked it better knowing that he was being honest with me.

He almost looked pained as he shook his head. "I really should go back," he repeated.

"Okay." I worked hard to keep any lingering disappointment out of my voice. "But tomorrow?"

"What? No shopping with Alice?"

It was nice to see that, despite his obvious worry, he hadn't entirely lost his sense of humor. I raised my eyebrows. "I'm sure Alice would be thrilled if I went shopping with her, if you're too busy for me."

He didn't seem to like that idea too much. Barely hiding a scowl, he leaned in towards me. His arms moved faster than I'd thought and, the next thing I knew, they were wrapped around my shoulders. Edward had pulled me into a hug that put the bear hug Emmett gave me earlier to shame. "I will never be too busy for you, Bella."

His whisper was hot on my ear and it was all I could do not to melt right on my front porch. Actually, only the knowledge that I was standing on the front porch of Charlie's house, being held tightly by my vampire boyfriend while my father was just on the other side of the door, kept me from giving in entirely to Edward.

I could just imagine Charlie's face if he happened to peek out of the windows or, even worse, chose that moment to open the door. He already disliked Edward, blaming him for everything that happened last spring; it wouldn't be that short of a jump to "get your hands of my daughter" if he caught us in such a compromising position.

"What's wrong?" he murmured, his hold unyielding. He wasn't letting go of me for anything and, ordinarily, that would make the butterflies in my stomach go wild. The panic I felt at imagining Charlie's reaction must have been obvious, though, because he sounded concerned all of a sudden.

"Charlie," I answered, sighing.

Just saying my dad's name out loud was enough to break the spell. Lowering his arms, Edward took a step back.

"He's waiting for you," he said quietly, "and, unless I'm mistaken, we're later than expected." In the glow of the porch light, I watched as he sniffed and then wrinkled his perfect nose. "He has pizza." He sniffed again. "Pepperoni."

I giggled at the face he made. I don't know what amused me more: that Charlie was beginning to give up on the hope that I'd spend more time in the house, or that the idea of eating pizza for dinner repulsed Edward so much.

"Oh, goody. Human food and I didn't even have to hunt for it," I teased before I took a deep breath. I didn't have his extraordinary sense of smell so it was no surprise that, from my place outside, I couldn't make out the aroma of a fresh pepperoni pizza. I took his word for it, though, and patted my belly. "Mm, pizza. Smells delicious."

He raised his eyebrow, and I laughed. I knew exactly what _that_ face meant.

I pretended to be offended on behalf of all the pizza aficionados out there. "Hey, it's not the pizza's fault that it doesn't smell as good as me."

I didn't mean for it to, but my comment wiped that mocking disgusted expression right off of his face. He was frowning as he looked down at me, his eyes nothing short of smoldering. "Nothing smells as good as you do."

His words sent chills up and down my spine. I didn't know whether to be flattered or intimidated by the strength behind his statement. He meant what he said.

I'd expected my words to get a chuckle out of him, and the heat behind his meaning was surprising. This wasn't the first time I'd teased him about his attraction to my blood. If there was one thing that I'd gotten used to since spending all of my time with Edward, it was hearing just how good I smelled. It was almost like a little joke between us. If it wasn't for the fact that he was so serious, it would be even funnier.

Still, he seemed more agreeable, not so torn, when I made light of the seriousness of his temptation. It was the only way I could deal with the knowledge that I was, as he put it, his brand of heroin. I had to turn it into a joke because, if I was being honest, I wished it _was _a joke.

I loved Edward. I loved him for who he was, even if that was a dangerous vampire who thirsted after my blood.

And I would never leave him, no matter what. If ever there came a time when there was no more us, it would be because of Edward's decision—it was just a decision that I would never, ever let him make. Ever.

I was confident that I didn't really have to worry about that, even if my insecurities kept me up at night sometimes, wondering when he would finally get around to leaving. He told me he loved me—even if I didn't understand why myself—too many times now for me to question his sincerity.

But that didn't mean that, in the moments when he looked at me that way, like he was memorizing my face for the time when he wouldn't see it any longer, that it was easy for me to remember that he was still there.

I was too used to his heavy stare to be that unnerved by it. I was still extremely self-conscious—I wanted to turn away, but I didn't. Instead, I met his gaze, questions in my eyes. He hadn't said anything else after that and that made me nervous.

"Edward?"

Sometimes I worried that I would say or do something that would give him a reason to leave. He promised me in Phoenix that he would stay _as long as it was best for me_. It was my greatest fear that I would do something stupid that make him believe that he had to go.

I had the sinking feeling that my ill thought out quip might've just been another push in that direction.

Quickly, before I gave him the chance to answer me, I began to backpedal. "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Oh yes, you did. And you should, Bella, because you're right. Nothing smells as delicious as you do, and nothing else tastes so good."

He hesitated for only a second before his hands were on my shoulders. My heart started to pound, but in a good way. I recognized this look on his face, too—it was one of my favorites—and I knew what was coming.

We were still standing on my front porch, with Charlie in the living room, but I forgot about him as Edward placed his lips against mine. I imagined there was an urgency behind his kiss and it took all my restraint—and I barely had enough where he was involved—not to wrap my arms around his neck and never let go.

When he moved back and let his hands fall at his sides again, there was a pleased gleam in his eye. Not to mention that crooked smile I loved so much was back in place. If I'd upset him at all with my teasing, I was forgiven.

I was all but breathless. Just then, I decided I didn't care what was going on at his house. I wanted him with me. He could find time to argue with his sister and scold his brother later.

However, before I could attempt to persuade him to stay, his topaz eyes flashed in the darkness as they flickered over my head and glanced at the front door. "Charlie's coming."

Now I _was_ breathless. It had been too easy to forget all about my dad. "Tomorrow?" I asked, my words whispered all too theatrically.

There was a tug at the right side of his mouth. His smile deepened. "Tomorrow," he promised. "Bright and early."

And then he was gone.

It was amazing how quickly he could disappear. It was as if the darkness swallowed him whole and, if I wasn't marveling at his trick, I might've worried what else could be lurking out there, unseen by my eyes. There wasn't even a single sound that alerted me to his flight; silent as the wind and just as fast, Edward was gone and I was alone.

But not for long.

"Bella?" I heard Charlie's muffled voice come from inside before the front door swung inward. I spun around, taking my attention off of the darkness. "I thought I heard someone out here."

There was a suspicious look on his face and I knew what he was expecting to find. I was never more appreciative of Edward's special talents than at moments like these—anything to save Charlie from having a coronary that walking in on something he didn't want to see could cause.

Standing in the entrance, he held the door open for me. I didn't miss the way his eyes searched the darkness as I walked passed him. At least I knew what—or, who—he was looking for.

"It's just me, Dad," I said brightly, wiping the mist from my face. I sounded awfully fake as I offered him a guilty smile. "You weren't waiting up for me, were you?"

"Oh no, honey. It's still early." He sounded just as fake as me. Charlie was definitely lying. "Just got up during a commercial to stretch and thought I heard someone at the door. I'm glad it was you."

He followed me into the living room, explaining himself as he went. I could see that Edward was right—there was a half-eaten slice of pizza on top of a crushed pizza box on the coffee table.

"I didn't know when you would be home," he admitted, gesturing towards the baseball game on the TV and the pizza mess.

I felt that familiar rush of guilt again. I couldn't remember the last time I'd left work after an afternoon shift and come home to cook dinner for me and Charlie. When someone spend all their free time with someone who didn't need to eat, it was really easy to forget that food was a necessity.

As if on cue, my stomach gave a loud growl. I hadn't had anything to eat except for a candy bar on my lunch break, and I was pretty hungry.

Charlie laughed. "Hungry, Bells?"

"I guess you could say that."

He took his plate off of the pizza box and flipped the top open. There was more than half a pie of pepperoni pizza left. "I picked up some pizza on the way home from the station. It's still hot." Picking up one of the slices, he set it on a napkin and held it out to me.

I took it gratefully. "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem. I've got to handle dinner every now and then."

There was nothing but humor in his voice and it helped ease my guilt a bit. It would do no one good for me to feel guilty when Charlie didn't blame me. Still, I couldn't help myself. "Ordering pizza is a little different from cooking a real meal, you know," I pointed out as I took a seat opposite of him on the couch.

"If you say so." With a small smile on his lined face, he added another slice of pizza to his plate. Lifting it up, he took a big bite off the end.

I rolled my eyes at his antics, but I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face as I ate my pizza. As small as Forks was, it was still a trying job being the police chief, especially for a man like Charlie. It was nice to see him relax, and even nicer to spend some time with him. I didn't spend as much time with him as both of us would have liked.

I thought of Edward then and what he was doing at that very moment. Knowing his speed, I had no doubt that he'd made it home already. I couldn't help but wonder what was so strange about Rosalie and Emmett cutting their vacation short. For all he knew, maybe they were homesick. It was possible that the missed their family.

Or maybe they were just tired of touring Africa. He didn't know. Or maybe he did—he did have the ability to hear what they were thinking.

I couldn't fight back the nagging worry that something was still wrong. I'd let him off the hook too easily by accepting his weak explanation on the truck ride over to my house. Now that I was home, without the distraction that Edward himself presented me, I saw that I had been too gullible. He conned me, and I let him.

Frowning, I stood up. I had half a mind to get in my truck, drive over to the Cullens and demand that Edward fill me in on what _really _bothered him about his siblings' return. I was going to believe that he was annoyed that they came back without telling anyone that they were coming back. I remembered how distracted he'd been for most of the afternoon, how wary and alert he was when he took me home.

I'd thought he was looking for something but I brushed it off. I was beginning to think that my first instinct just might have been right and I was itching to confront Edward. He was going to have to learn sooner or later that he couldn't keep _everything_ from me, no matter how hard he tried or how protective he wanted to be.

Look what happened the last time he tried to keep me safe by keeping me ignorant. I have a crescent-shaped scar on my hand to remind him to keep me in the loop.

Before I could storm off to my truck, Charlie nodded over at me. "Going to bed already, Bells? It's only nine o'clock."

"Huh?" His voice took me right out of my thoughts of staring down Edward Cullen. Confused, I shook my head. "Bed? Wha… no, I'm not going to bed yet."

"You looked pretty focused there, kiddo. Something on your mind?"

For just a second, I entertained the idea of telling Charlie about my concerns.

_You know Edward, right? Well, his brother and sister came back from Africa today and, for some reason, that bothered him. It made him moody and he won't tell me why. He fed me some story that he's annoyed that they just popped back up but I sure don't buy that. He's acting way too protective all of a sudden… just like he did when James, that stupid tracker, was trying to hunt me down._

_Oh, sorry… did I forget to tell you that a sadistic vampire tried to kill me last March? Oops..._

Yeah… that wasn't going to happen.

"Nope," I lied, picking up my dirty napkin, my unfinished piece of pizza and Charlie's empty plate. I wasn't tired—I couldn't even think about bed just yet—but I couldn't just leave again. I'm glad that Charlie had that same sixth sense that all parents had, the one that told them that their kid was about to do something stupid; if it wasn't for him, I would've been halfway out the door already. "I just thought I would clean up a little and get some soda."

"Could you get me a Coke while you're in the kitchen?"

"Sure, Dad."

The pizza box was still open and it was empty. I tossed the garbage inside before lifting the entire box up and carrying it into the kitchen. I didn't bother bringing it outside. Sunday was garbage day and we didn't need squirrels digging through the trash again.

Though the pizza was salty, I wasn't very thirsty, but I'd told Charlie I was getting sodas so I did. I grabbed two cold cans of Coca Cola from the refrigerator before shutting the fridge door with my hip.

I handed him his soda before taking my seat back on the couch. I set my can on the coffee table. Maybe I would be thirsty later.

Focusing his attention on the can he was opening, Charlie didn't even look at me as he asked, "So, no plans tonight?"

I could tell that was one of the questions that must've been whirling around his head since I came home. Whenever I came home nowadays, I usually had Edward with me; he usually stayed until I was getting ready for bed—and, unknown to Charlie, he then usually stayed over. It must be as strange for him to see me without Edward as it was for me to be alone in the house on a Friday night.

Stalling for time by taking a big swig from my can, I shook my head. After I swallowed, I told him, "No, not tonight. It was a long day at work and, besides, Edward was busy. Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale came back from Af—from checking out colleges today."

Charlie was like the rest of the townspeople in Forks—he thought that the older Cullens were all preparing for college. I wasn't about to correct him.

I didn't miss the frown that flashed across his face. "Emmett… he's the big one, isn't he?"

"Yes, Dad," I sighed. "And he's one of the nicest."

My tone was sharper than I meant it to be but that was all right. Charlie took the hint. He immediately changed the subject. "There's a really good game going on right now, the Mariners versus the Mets. Do you want to spend the night with your old dad and watch it with me?"

I nodded, relieved that he hadn't pursued the other conversation. "Sounds good to me."

He looked surprised that I said yes and I didn't blame him. It was _baseball_, after all. I'd never really been a fan of the game before; after watching the Cullens plays their own brand of vampire baseball, it was even more boring to watch a regular MLB game.

But, if that made Charlie happy, then I could spend a couple of hours on the couch, pretending to watch the game.

I think he took my acceptance as a sign that he was finally converting me into a sports fan, and I didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise. I forced a vaguely interested expression to form on my face as my normally quiet father launched into a one-sided debate centered on the American pastime.

I caught a mention of something called a "force-out" and "interleague play" before I tuned him out entirely. I kept that look on my face, though, as my eyes stared at the television. According to screen, the team in blue and orange was up at bat and it was the top of the fifth.

The game was almost over, thank goodness. But I would watch it—for two reasons, too: one, because Charlie seemed especially pleased to share his affection for this game with me and two, because it was something to do. It was something to keep my attention away from worrying about Edward and whatever was going on back at his house.

Anything to take my mind off of everything.

Tomorrow, though… _that_ was a different story.

* * *

Author's Note: _Nothing much to say right now except for that I just couldn't help myself with the baseball game. Unlike Bella, I am a huge fan of the MLB (the New York Mets, in particular) and I thought I would include them in a little cameo as they tie the Phillies for the lead in the NL East again. Yes, I really am that much of a dork :)_

_As always, a little review would be nice. I hope to the next chapter out soon so that we can get to some of the really good stuff before everyone's hiatus for _Breaking Dawn_. I can't wait, can you?_


	8. Sleepwalker

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Seven  
SLEEPWALKER

--

The baseball game must have worked its boring, mind-numbing magic on me because, the next thing I knew, I was stretching my arms and yawning.

Somewhere lost between half asleep and half awake, I was conscious enough to grasp the fact that it was Saturday and that I had no work. I didn't even bother opening my eyes. I was just going to roll over and fall back asleep anyway.

But I didn't.

Something was wrong.

In my sleepy haze, it took me longer to realize what than if I was more conscious. As I stretched, it was easy to tell that I wasn't sleeping on the couch—where I'd most definitely fallen asleep the night before. I'd been too worried, too tired and too lazy to go upstairs, change into my pajamas and go to sleep in my bed, choosing to sleep on Charlie's old couch instead.

But, as I reached back and stretched my arms behind me, I knew that I wasn't on the old, lumpy couch anymore.

When I was little, Charlie used to carry me upstairs if I fell asleep on the couch but he hadn't done that since I was six. He probably wouldn't want to risk a hernia at his age by lifting me now. But if it wasn't him, then how did I get moved?

My breath caught in my throat as the most horrifying idea popped into my head. I couldn't have started sleepwalking too, could I? Oh, I hope not.

Walking in my sleep wasn't even a viable option. It was bad enough that I was so clumsy when I was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. I could only imagine how much trouble I'd get myself into if I started walking around sound asleep.

There was only one thing left to do. The uncertainty of not knowing went straight to my chest; part nervous, part confused, I was suddenly wide awake. There was no way I could go back to sleep without even being aware of where exactly I was.

Tentatively, I opened my eyes. A quick look around the room assured me that, however I'd moved, I hadn't gone far: I was upstairs, in my bedroom.

My eyes strayed to the window. It was open, the muggy, humid air of a Forks summer oozing its way into my room. There was no sign of an intruder—I checked to see if my rocking chair was empty, and it was—but I figured Edward must have snuck in through the window at some point. I had to; if I didn't blame my sudden movement on him, then I had to wonder who else with enough strength to carry me upstairs had been in my house.

I point blank refused to believe that I might be a sleep talker _and_ a sleepwalker.

Pushing my blanket aside, I quickly climbed out of my bed. I barely remembered that I was still wearing my clothes instead of pajamas; when I glanced down and recognized my work clothes, I cringed. I would be sore later. It was never a good idea to fall asleep in jeans.

Deciding I was better off showering and getting dressed, I patted my sleep-tangled hair and yawned. It was early, but Charlie would be gone already. There was nothing really for me to do except get ready for when Edward came back for me.

But first I would close my window. It was too sticky out to leave it open—and it definitely wasn't a good idea to go around inviting strong strangers into my bedroom.

The memory of a plain, pale young man with indifference in his scarlet eyes and murder on his mind popped into my head. I quickly squashed it. I had nothing to fear from James—Edward and his brothers had made sure of that.

No, I only to had worry about runaway vans, the slippery ice during a Forks winter, the ever present danger from my own two feet and, oh yeah, the fact that my blood smelled much sweeter to a particular vampire than anyone else's ever had before…

I quickly squashed those thoughts, too. I didn't like being reminded that I was Bella Swan, danger magnet.

Besides, if he really wanted to get in, Edward would find a way in whether my window was open or not. And if he didn't, then he was just going to have to get used to going through the front door like a normal human being.

The window closed with a snap. Pressing my nose up against the glass, I could see that Charlie was already gone. It was Saturday, which meant that he could be anywhere: at the station, visiting Billy Black at La Push, fishing down at his spot with Harry Clearwater…

Wherever he was, if I left to spend the day with Edward—which I was definitely planning on doing—then I would have to leave a note for him today. He hadn't really said anything about it last night, but I'm sure Charlie wanted more of an idea of where I was.

My nose and forehead peeled away from the slick, sticky window pane with a faint popping noise and I absently wiped at the marks left behind. The humidity, or maybe the ever-present rain, left drops of water on the glass and my fingers left trails along the width of the window. There would be streaks later, but I didn't care.

I glanced out the window one last time before heading off to the shower. There was no sign of Edward outside, no silver Volvo in the driveway, but that didn't mean that he wasn't out there. I'd learned awhile ago not to underestimate him; in fact, I was a little surprised, not to mention a little disappointed, that I hadn't found him in my rocking chair this morning. There was no better way to wake up than to find such a gorgeous figure watching in awe as you slept.

And it's really not as creepy as it sounds, either.

He didn't like to be away from me and that was something I could understand entirely. If I had it my way, I'd never be parted from him again.

Now, if only I could convince Edward of that. He was still stubbornly refusing to even _think _about turning me into a vampire like him. As desperate as I was to lose my humanity, to make sure I could be with him forever—and to an immortal, forever really meant _forever_—he was equally certain that he would never allow me to become a "monster" like him.

Sighing, I turned my back on the window. It was useless, anyway. If he didn't want to be seen, I wouldn't see him. Not until he wanted me to. Stupid mythical creature.

I didn't bother grabbing anything to bring with me as I left. Ever since my walking cast was removed and my injuries had healed enough that I didn't have to rely on Alice to help me bathe—something that Charlie will, in his own mind, never be able to thank her enough for; Alice was the only Cullen that Charlie really adored, rather than just tolerated—I'd kept all of my toiletries in the bathroom. So, without another look behind me, I sluggishly made my way out of my room and down the hall.

My shower was reviving. By the time I'd brushed my teeth, washed my hair and soaped up, I wasn't feeling cranky or nervous at all. It was as if I washed the worries out when I rinsed my strawberry shampoo. However, once I turned the jet of hot water off and wrapped myself in my fluffy blue towel, I couldn't help but wonder where Edward was or what he was doing.

I knew it wasn't healthy to obsess over every move that he made but, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get him off my mind. After the distraction of Charlie's baseball game, I'd been able to forget about everything that happened at the Cullens house yesterday. Waking up in a different place from where I'd fallen asleep had been the pressing matter at hand this morning; now, though, my thoughts were free to wander back to him.

I had the feeling that I was making a mountain out of a molehill with this whole thing. Edward was the one who had a tendency to overreact yet I was the one currently analyzing every word he'd said and glance he'd given. And I thought I was the sensible one. But nope—here I was, concerned that he was annoyed and moody rather than pleased to see his family together again. I don't think I would've been so worried except that it was so obvious that he was trying to keep me out of it, whatever it _was_.

That was what had me irked and I knew that I wouldn't feel at peace until I got him to admit that he was keeping something from me. We were, in the simplest terms, a couple, a union—there shouldn't be any secrets that he felt he had to hide.

His worried frown and troubled eyes flashed before me and I sighed. And to think that things had been so calm lately. I wasn't surprised that I was reacting so strongly to his self-imposed secrecy. I guess, in a way, I'd been expecting this. Happily ever after's only happen in fairy tales.

I must've been really lost in thought—fretting over Edward, fretting over me—because, when I made it back to my room, I almost walked smack dab into the real thing without realizing it. I stopped in time, thank goodness, but I only just managed to keep my hold on my towel.

"Edward!"

My voice squeaked and I wasn't sure if it was because I was glad he was there—or because I was horrified because he _was_ there andI was _naked_. My grip on the towel tightened so much so that my fingers turned white. They were actually even paler than his.

"Good morning, Bella," he greeted, a welcoming smile on his face. It dipped when he saw my lack of clothing. Like the gentleman that he was, he promptly turned around. "Sleep well?"

Even though I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was taking a shot at me. I didn't appreciate it. "Huh? I mean… wha—what are you doing here? How did you get here?" Stupid question, I know. The window had been open, hadn't it? I shook my head. "_When_ did you get here?"

"Aren't you glad to see me?"

His voice actually managed to radiate innocence. It made me more flustered than I already was—if that was even possible.

"Of course I am," I said, slightly hysterical, "but you usually give me a little more of an advanced warning so I can get ready. And don't think I didn't notice you didn't answer my questions."

"So many questions," he laughed. "I'm not surprised. I definitely got off easy last night. Besides," he added, his voice smarmy, "I _did _tell you I'd be here bright and early, Bella."

I ignored that. "Well?"

"I'll make a deal with you. You go finish getting dressed and then I'll answer any questions you have."

There was no way I was going to pass that up. "Fine," I said, trying to sound dignified. It was difficult, considering he was fully clothed and I wasn't, but still. It was something.

He didn't see my triumphant grin as I hiked up my towel, secured it and hurried over to my dresser. Edward was very careful to keep his back to me, giving me my privacy. I would have loved to give him a grateful hug if it wasn't for the fact that I was, well, naked except for a towel.

Instead, I quickly gathered together some underwear, a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I didn't even look to see if they matched; I just made sure that I would have something to cover up myself with so that I could hurry back and talk to him.

Arms full of clothes, I paused at my door. I cleared my throat. "Don't go anywhere, okay?"

He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes light and happy. "I wouldn't dream of it."

His smooth, velvet voice assured me that he would be there, waiting in my room when I returned but it was hard for me to believe that he wouldn't disappear the moment I turned my back on him. I was beginning to think I just may have a complex.

I held up my index finger in the universal sign for "give me a minute" before disappearing out into the hallway. I wanted to hurry but, after stumbling halfway to the bathroom and nearly losing hold of the towel, I went more slowly. The last thing I needed was to fall down, break my leg again, cry out for help and have Edward find me on the floor, naked as the day I was born. I didn't think my pride—or Edward's virtue—could handle a shock like that.

As it was, I was pretty sure that my fingers might be permanently white and my cheeks stained red. It had never occurred to me that he might be waiting for me when I finished with my shower. I made a conscious decision right then and there that I would always bring my clothes with me and get dressed in the bathroom.

Once the surprise of Edward's sudden, unexpected appearance wore off, and I was finally able to untangle the poor towel from my death grip, I basically threw my clothes on. I don't remember ever getting dressed so quickly before.

I think I just needed the proper incentive. A gorgeous vampire boyfriend who was actually _offering _to answer my questions was all I needed to get my butt into gear.

I added my towel to the hamper before grabbing my hairbrush. My hair had begun to air dry and it took a bit of work to get the tangles and knots out without ripping big chunks of hair out. When I finally did, I left my hair down and tossed my brush back into my basket of toiletries.

There. I was ready. I just hoped he was, too.

He was still there when I returned from the bathroom, but he'd moved. Instead of standing in the middle of the room, where I'd left him, Edward had taken to my rocking chair. It was as overcast and rainy this morning as it had been when I first peeked out the window and only his brilliance brightened up my room.

His arms opened wide, invitingly, as I entered the room.

It should be illegal for him to look so tempting. I almost couldn't resist.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stayed in the doorway. I shook my head. "Uh-uh. I know what you're trying to do and I'm not buying it."

He tilted his head to the side, pouting his beautiful lips. His tousled bronze hair fell forward into his face with the action but it wasn't enough to hide the obvious mischief written in his ocher eyes.

Though I was well aware that he was being manipulative, that sad look of his tugged on my heartstrings. It wasn't as if I'd never seen anyone use the puppy dog pout on me before—my mom was a pro at it—but Edward… it was like he invented it.

I never stood a chance.

I stomped over to him, my face mimicking his; I doubted I pulled the pout off half as well as he did.

Once I was in front of him, I gave him a silent warning and jumped right onto his lap. I didn't snuggle close to him, breathing in his delicious scent, like I usually did. Instead, I tried to maintain a level of distance. I would not let him dazzle me into giving up my chance to interrogate him on yesterday's strange behavior.

If he noticed that I was reacting to him differently than I normally did, he didn't say anything. He just closed his arms and, being careful as always, adjusted my position so that I was secure against his chest.

I didn't even bother trying to wiggle out of his grip. Scowling, I said, "There. Happy?"

"Immensely."

Leaning in, he buried his face in my damp hair. My heart started to race from his proximity but I was able to barely hang onto my control. His breath tickled my neck. I could feel him inhaling the scent of my skin and I was suddenly very grateful that I'd already showered.

When Edward remained in that position, relentlessly sending chills up and down my spine, I started to lose myself in his embrace. It was just too easy to. Firming my resolve, I attempted to ignore the way he was holding me so close to his hard chest. He still wasn't talking, but that was about to change.

Clearing my throat, I tried to move away from him so that I could look him in the eye. It didn't work, though; Edward's hold was like a vice.

For some reason, that made me annoyed. I huffed. "Did you forget our deal?" I was proud of myself. There was only a small tremor in my voice as he rubbed his cheek along the length of my throat before finally sitting straight back again.

"No, but I was hoping you would."

I rolled my eyes at his honesty before turning my head and glaring up at him. Like that would ever happen. He had a better chance of getting me to ask Mike Newton on a date than me forgetting that he'd actually said he would explain something about him that made me curious.

Edward did not react to my disgruntled expression the way I wanted him to—instead of looking abashed, he was smirking. He freed one of his hands and tapped me gently on the nose. "You're so cute."

Cute? My glare turned into a glower. "I was going for fierce."

Letting his arm fall and settle in my lap, encircling my waist and pulling me even closer to him, I could see that he was trying to lose his humor. His eyebrow rose, nonetheless. "Fierce, Bella? Perhaps in another life."

My ears pricked up at that comment. Whether he meant to or not, Edward had just given the perfect opening for a whole new discussion. If he didn't want to tell me what was going on, then I was going to take this chance and run with it.

"Actually, now that you mention it…"

I watched as his eyes narrowed knowingly. He knew exactly what I was about to say.

It was his move. Did he want to talk about changing me, or would he rather honor his end of our agreement and answer my questions?

No surprise, he quickly interrupted me. "So, you have a couple things you wanted to ask me?"

Oh, he really _was _good.

Between bugging him for the umpteenth time to change me or getting him to tell me what had been bothering him, I chose asking the questions myself. There would be another time—I'd make sure of that—when I would get the chance to convince him that making me a vampire like him was what was best for everyone.

"Yes, I do," I said hurriedly. I'd been waiting for this moment. "Number one: when _did _you get here?" It was the same question I'd asked him before, when I first found him in my bedroom this morning, and I really wanted to know the answer.

"Shortly before dawn." The corner of his mouth curled upwards as he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on top of my head. "I couldn't stay away." Lowering his head so that his cool lips were at the base of my neck, he began placing soft butterfly kisses across my suddenly feverish skin.

Okay, I reminded myself, you have to focus, Bella. There are more important things at the moment other than how amazing Edward's feathery kisses felt. It just took me a few muddled seconds to remember what some of those things could be.

I waited until he'd given up his assault on my neck—never the best place for Edward to linger, unless he was really testing his self-control—before I continued. "Did you move me?" It had nothing to do with yesterday but, for my own sanity, I had to know.

"I couldn't find you and I got nervous. I could hear Charlie snoring down the hall but I didn't know where you were." He was nuzzling my neck again. "I found you downstairs on the couch, all sprawled out, one arm hanging over the edge." Chuckling at the memory, his breath was tickling me again. "You looked so uncomfortable I just had to move you. Besides," he said and, as he moved his head back, I could see his eyes sparkling in amusement, "lying on your back like that gives you the tendency to snore."

"I do not snore!" I shot back defiantly.

"Yes, you do, Bella, but that's all right. I love you anyway."

Full of denial and embarrassment, I quickly calculated my odds on winning this once—and they weren't very good. I was better off dropping it and just returning to my questioning; we would talk about my nighttime noises later.

"Just be glad I'm not walking in my sleep," I mumbled. Then, before I gave him the chance to comment on that, I said, "You came back after all. Is everything okay at your house then? What _happened_ yesterday?"

All traces of his humor, whether feigned or barely masked, were gone at once. I bet he never thought I'd every get around to asking _that _question.

"Remember, you said you'd answer any questions I had."

"That I did." He sighed and, while he didn't loosen his hold on me, I felt him stiffen in the chair. Slowly, he began to rock it.

I decided to be uncharacteristically patient as I waited for him to continue. That patience lasted a grand total of thirty seconds. "Edward? You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

I don't know what it was about that but my sincere words brought a wistful smile to his face. "It's nothing really, Bella. In fact, I'm not sure I should even bother you with it."

"I don't mind," I said quickly, relieved that he wasn't trying to weasel his way out of answering me. "Go on. Bother away."

"If you insist," he chuckled. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't."

"Okay, you know how I told you that Alice saw Rosalie and Emmett coming back to Forks?" I nodded, eager to hear more. I already knew this part. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but I was a little taken aback by how quickly they arrived."

I had to work to fight back a disbelieving snort. "Oh, yes. I noticed." Now _that _was an understatement.

"Yes, well, while their imminent return had been predicted, none of us actually expected that they would arrive so soon. When they left for Africa, Rosalie hinted that she and Emmett would enjoy an extended honeymoon until the new semester of school had started. But it's only August now and they're home. I couldn't understand it, especially since Alice only knew of their decision to return that afternoon. Whatever had sent them home, it hadn't been entirely planned. In fact, their decision had only been made that morning."

I listed to him speak, his soft voice lulling over me as he continued to rock the chair. I felt a twinge of guilt that Rosalie had given Edward the idea that she wouldn't come back until he and Alice were attending classes at Forks High School again; it made me feel as if the only reason she'd whisked Emmett away was because she didn't want to be in the house in case I was there with her brother. But that twinge was easily overlooked as I tried to understand exactly what he was saying.

Frowning, I attempted to work it out myself. "So, you weren't all upset that they'd come home. It was not knowing what had sent them running back to Washington that got you worried?"

"Exactly. You know Emmett, he knows no fear. And Rosalie is more than capable of taking care of herself. There's no creature, man or beast, that could send them scampering home—at least, that's what I thought. I couldn't understand why they'd come and it seems that they made a conscious decision to keep the information away from… from me, and from the family, until they made up their mind on how to handle the situation they created in Africa. When you and I met them in the foyer yesterday, there was nothing in their thoughts that alerted me and that, more than anything, made me frustrated. "

That was understandable. If there was one thing that I knew for sure, it was that Edward relied on his mindreading ability more than he would admit. It frustrated him to no end that, for the first time in his life, he actually had to ask someone what they were thinking; he hated not knowing immediately what was on my mind himself. It was no surprise that it annoyed him that Rosalie and Emmett had purposely kept something from him.

At least he knew how it felt now. Maybe, in the future, he would be more honest with me.

He lifted his right hand slowly, stroking my hair. "I hope I didn't upset you with my worrying, but I couldn't confide in you when I did not have the correct information myself."

Now that I was learning what had bothered him, my own worries seemed frivolous. I brushed his apologies aside. Besides, there was something about the way he answered my question that seemed… unfulfilled, almost. "You went home last night, right? Did you learn about the, uh, the situation?"

Situation, that's what he'd called it. Situation did not sound good. I began to feel a little nervous. And Edward had said that he'd never known of anything that would make Emmett afraid… did that mean that this situation involved someone else apart from the two Cullens who'd been vacationing in Africa?

I really hoped not. I couldn't even imagine what sort of _thing _would make _Emmett _even nervous.

"Yes. They—Rosalie and Emmett, that is—they met a fellow traveler in Africa. A fellow vampire," he clarified, and I was pretty sure I heard him hiss. I wondered what that was about. "They lodged together in a remote village, swapping stories and defending their lifestyles, but my siblings were unable to sway him from his preferred drink." He was scowling now. "They took leave of each other when he decided to go hunting but he'd promised he'd see them again—and soon."

Edward left his explanation at that. I really hoped that he didn't mean what I thought he meant.

"And now they're back here," I said, my memory recalling the big bear hug Emmett had given me yesterday, and the way Rosalie had ignored my very presence. "So what does that mean? This vampire… he's coming?"

Edward nodded. "Alice sees him coming to Forks." His lips were drawn in a humorless grin. "She says he intends to be our dinner guest."

What? "Dinner?" I gasped.

I couldn't help myself; even though I was usually very good at accepting the whole vampire, blood drinking thing, I felt my body tighten up in apprehension. The Cullens, being "vegetarians", chose to drink animal blood but that choice was very rare for their kind. Any other vampire who stumbled upon Forks would have a different food source in mind. Forks had already survived one attempted attack by a rogue vampire—I highly doubted my luck would hold up a second time. In fact, I was counting on it to do just the opposite. No wonder he didn't want to tell me about any of this.

I hadn't had that many nightmares since I returned from Phoenix; something about morphine gave me the ability to drown out much of the shock of that vampire attack in my old ballet studio. However, the prospect that another vampire of that sort was visiting Forks made me very wary.

Exhaling, I tried to let myself relax against Edward. I always felt safe in his arms and this time was no exception. He knew what was upsetting me immediately. I felt his hand rub my side soothingly.

"A poor choice of words on my part, Bella. Alice insists that he truly means no harm. He's only searching us out to see this great and powerful coven that Emmett boasted about."

There was no denying the disapproving tone underlying his velvet voice. I could only imagine the additional scolding poor Emmett was given for his boasting. Knowing Emmett, he probably didn't mind at all; if anything, he was eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new vampire if only to have someone to potentially fight. I had no doubt in my mind that, whatever it was that might've made him uncomfortable in Africa, he'd show no fear whatsoever back in Forks, surrounded by his family.

Emmett was always raring for a confrontation, alone or not—when Edward said his brother knew no fear, I knew exactly what he meant. I've never meant anyone so intimidating, so strong in my life. I managed a weak chuckle at the memory of how much Edward's favorite brother had been itching to fight James when he was threatening me.

James… I remembered what happened the last time a nomadic vampire found his way to Forks. I was not eager to revisit that experience. I shuddered against Edward's protective frame.

He gave my side a light squeeze. "There's nothing to worry about."

His words did not reassure me. This scenario was all too familiar. "Nothing to worry about? That's what Alice said about James too," I muttered, entirely aware of just how nervous I suddenly felt.

I think I might've been better off not knowing, after all.

* * *

Author's Note: _And here we go—the last chapter that I'll be posting before the release of _Breaking Dawn. _I'm going to be selfish here and hope that nothing Stephenie Meyer writes contradicts my plans for this story, heh. But, if it does, then at least I have the future to correct it. There's got to be one perk to working on an epic WIP when a series ends ;)_

_I hope you guys enjoy reading book 4 (and this chapter too, of course)! This weekend is going to be insane, what with the BD tour and the release but I'm so excited for it. I don't know when I'll get to finish part 9, or when it'll be posted, but at least—by then—we'll know how Edward and Bella's story really ends. _

_Oh, and I just wanted to say one more thing. I always felt that Bella was somewhat quick to forget the harrowing experience of nearly being tortured to death by James. I don't know how she coped with it that first summer and, if it wasn't obvious enough already, that's one of the themes I'm hoping to tackle in this story. Hopefully it makes as much sense to you guys as it does me :)_


	9. James

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Eight  
JAMES

--

I put on a brave face, trying to push aside the rising panic I felt at his admission. I don't know why I was getting so worked up anyway. Just because one crazy vampire tried to kill me, that didn't mean that all of them were bad. Anytime I forgot that, all I had to do was look at the Cullens.

James is dead, I reminded myself as Edward tightened his arms around me, and Edward would never let anyone hurt me. Besides, after everything that happened in Phoenix, I highly doubted that he would let me anywhere near anyone who was even remotely a potential threat ever again.

Maybe that was it. Maybe I wasn't so much upset that there was another vampire planning to visit Forks as I was that Edward was going to have to leave me behind while he, along with his family, greeted—and, no doubt, kept an eye on—this new visitor.

I didn't know how long this vampire would stay, or what I would do while Edward was away, but I was determined not to make this any harder on him than I had to. I'd already kept myself occupied for seventeen years without any trouble. A couple of days alone wouldn't hurt.

Bracing myself against him, as if I was afraid he was going to climb out of the rocking chair immediately and leave me without so much as a goodbye, I nodded into his chest. "I'm sorry, Edward, and you're right. But I'll miss you."

"Miss me?" I couldn't see his face the way my head was angled into him but that didn't mean I couldn't hear the confusion in his soft, velvet voice. "Are you going somewhere that I don't know about?"

"No… but I thought you'd have to stay with your family until the visitor came and left."

"I do."

"I know," I said, snuggling into his granite-hard chest. I breathed him in, letting his sweet, irresistible scent fill my nose and wrap around my senses. I sighed. "And I'll miss you."

Edward chuckled. "Silly Bella."

"What?" I sounded defensive, my tone sharp, even if my voice was muffled by his thin sweater. I didn't like the way his laugh was suddenly so condescending.

It was bad enough that I would have to willingly be separated from him; did he have to find my sacrifice amusing? Didn't he know how hard it was for me to be away from him? I actually had to resort to watching _baseball_ with Charlie last night so that I wouldn't realize how lonely I was, how _empty_ I was, without him.

He leaned further back into the chair, creating a small amount of space between his torso and my head. Carefully, and before his body could draw me close like the magnet he was to me, Edward gripped my chin with his ice cold fingers. He turned my face towards him, tilting my head back so that he could look into my eyes.

There was nothing but love splayed across his face, etched deep into every line of his marble-like skin. This close, it was almost impossible to imagine a time when he wasn't with me—or wouldn't be.

He chuckled again. It didn't sound half as condescending now. "There's another vampire in the area, Bella. I don't intend to let you out of my sight."

Edward kissed the tip of my nose before releasing the hold he had on my chin. He didn't let his hands fall back to his lap; instead, he trailed my cheek with the side of his pinkie finger. "No worries," he promised again. "You have nothing to fear when I'm with you."

And, though I'd never admit it, he was right. Even now, once the shock of learning that another vampire was heading towards Forks began to wear off, I wasn't really that afraid—not now that I knew he wasn't going to leave me on my own.

The nightmares only came whenever I thought of being alone.

In fact, I felt much, much better now that Edward had assured me that he wasn't planning on leaving me behind. It was easier to push aside any worries that I held for myself, though I wasn't able to entirely get my mind off of the idea that this new vampire might be a threat to the Cullens themselves.

I tried to voice my new set of worries but I never got the chance to.

After leaning back into his chest again, I decided to ask him what made this new character so _different _that he'd been able to convince Rosalie and Emmett to come back to Forks rather than continue traveling with him in Africa. Had he _really _inspired any sort of fear in Edward's siblings or was Edward—as I knew too well that he had a tendency to do—just overreacting? Was _I_ worrying now because Edward was or because the idea of a hunter of humans in Forks scared me so much that I thought _he_ should worry?

However, before I'd even open my mouth to say anything, to clue him in to my rambling thought process, Edward proceeded to silence me with one of his amazing, mind blowing kisses. By the time he'd relaxed his hold on my shoulders and let his assault on my lips fade away, I'd completely forgotten what I wanted to say. Like always, it was just enough that I had to remember how to breathe when he was done.

He seemed very proud of himself as he gently scooped me up in his arms and stood up from the rocking chair. My body was shifted so that I wasn't being handled like a ragdoll; Edward lifted me up so that my face was close to his. I tried to be hesitant—I didn't want to overload him with _my _scent—but I couldn't help it. I threw my hands around his neck, holding on tight, before laying my head on his shoulder.

This was how every morning should begin. Well, the being treated as if I was something precious by the one person I loved most in this world. I could live without the disorientation of waking up in a different place than where I fell asleep, the near-naked experience in my bedroom… not to mention discovering that there was a good chance that another bad guy was heading our way.

I couldn't imagine another vampire being more of a formidable villain than James, the tracker.

James was the stuff of nightmares, the very reason why vampires got such a bad rap. He'd thirsted for my blood for no other reason than it appealed to Edward, that Edward was attracted to—and protective of—me, a lowly human. He attempted to _kill _me, even going so far as to videotape the attack in a bid to get some sort of rise out of Edward. My life had been forfeit because I intrigued one of his kind.

Just thinking about him and the marks he left on me, marks that went even deeper than the perpetually cold scar on my hand, made me even more fearful now that I'd felt earlier at hearing Edward's news. The worries I had were nothing in comparison to the nightmares I knew and the memories I normally repressed.

I liked to, if I had to, remember that week in Phoenix for the way that I was rescued; it was easier to ignore what I was being rescued from in the light of Edward's heroics.

I hadn't dwelt this long on the bad memories since I'd returned to Forks with a fabricated alibi and one heck of a broken leg. I'd regret it later, when I was asleep and James haunted my dreams. For now, though, I just shuddered once against the strength of Edward's chest before pushing one bad vampire out of my head.

James _was _dead. If I had to worry, I'd be better off worrying about this new vampire.

Edward felt the small tremor but didn't say anything about it. I could feel the weight of his eyes on the side of my face. I refused to meet his gaze until I was sure there wasn't a single trace of nervousness lingering in my expression. Sometimes I could be too much of a worrywart myself. If he didn't seem all that concerned, then there was no reason for me to be worried.

If I wasn't careful, I could accidentally convince him that the threat might be greater than he thought and I'd be better off at home with Charlie. Not like Charlie's shiny badge or rusty old gun would be able to stop a bloodthirsty vampire on the hunt but, then again, Edward's logic never really makes much sense to me.

Without another word, he led us out of my room and down the stairs. He was as light on his feet as ever but, unless I was imagining it—and I doubted that—there seemed to be an urgency in his step.

It was obvious that Edward was just itching to get back to his house. The Cullens' home was huge, a big white fortress. We—well, me—would be much safer there, especially since the rest of his seven-strong vampire family would be there too.

But I couldn't leave yet and, when my stomach growled so loud that it sounded more like rumbling thunder than a normal (human) bodily function, Edward understood. Gently setting me down on my feet, he grinned at me and gestured with an open palm towards the empty kitchen. "Would care for some breakfast, Miss Swan? The chef is at your command."

His voice was oddly formal and definitely full of humor. He was trying his best to ease any tension that may have lingered but, as I wrinkled my nose, I could only imagine what sort of breakfast Chef Edward would concoct.

I really needed to tell Alice to stop him from watching the Food Network. It was giving him ideas.

"That's okay, Chef. I think I can settle for a nice and simple bowl of cereal," I said. Cereal was safe and, considering how I knew he really wanted to bring me back with him to his family, it was quick.

Unfortunately, though, as I headed into the kitchen, with Edward silently at my heels, my eyes landed on the empty pizza box that I'd left on the side counter. Charlie must have figured I had a reason to put it there instead of adding it to the trash and didn't move it.

Charlie… I felt a twinge of remorse as my dad's face flashed before my eyes. I don't know how he was able to fend for himself for all those years when I lived with Mom—I had a hunch that a lot of take-out and TV dinners were involved—but there was no way that I could skip out on him again without leaving him _something _to eat.

Edward caught me staring at the empty box. He raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Bella?"

"Not really." I shook my head, clearing my guilty conscience in favor of trying to figure out what I could whip up for Charlie before leaving with Edward. "I was just thinking that I should put something together for my dad. It's not good for him to live off of a diet of pepperoni pizza and soda."

I had to give him credit. He didn't look pained or frustrated at all that I was prolonging the stay in my house. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if he had more information that he was conveniently neglecting to pass along. It was almost as if he was keeping me on a 'need-to-know' basis; when he felt like I needed to know, that's when he offered up the answers.

Edward's butterscotch-colored eyes brightened up, my favorite uneven smile tugging at his lips. "Would you like me to help? I saw a great recipe for duck a l'orange the other night."

"Umm…" I couldn't really think of a polite way to say no. I had a feeling that, as adventurous in his eating as Charlie has become since I moved in with him, Edward's attempts might be a little bit too much. With my dad, safer was always better. "I was just going to throw together a tuna casserole," I thought up immediately. "If I make enough, then he'll have leftovers just in case."

Wisely, Edward did not comment on my 'just in case' clause. Instead, he nodded solemnly. "What can I do?"

I could see that there was no way I was going to win. He thought he was being sneaky but I could see exactly what he was doing—I just couldn't stop him from doing it. So obsessed with the idea that I should remain a human forever, Edward was even going so far as to learn how to cook so that he could feed me himself.

Quickly, I ran the list of ingredients for a simple tuna casserole through my head. There had to be something that he could do that was simple enough that a vampire who hadn't eaten real food in almost ninety years could handle. Noodles, tuna, mayonnaise, milk, cheese, onions, celery… I had it.

I crossed the kitchen, turning the dial on the oven so that it was preheating at 350 degrees, and hurried over to the refrigerator. I took out as many of the ingredients as I could remember and set them on the free counter, silently patting myself on the back for hitting the Thriftway on Thursday as I did so, before grabbing one small onion and a few celery stalks in my left hand.

After reaching in one of the bottom cabinets for a cutting board, I offered everything to Edward. "If you're so eager to help," I told him with a thankful grin; I didn't want him to think I wasn't grateful, even if I would've preferred to throw the meal together myself, "you can start by dicing this onion and the celery."

"Of course." Quicker than I'd expect, and in a way that would've frightened me if anyone else did it, there was a knife in his hand. "Coming right up."

I rolled my eyes, turning my back on him as I took a clean bowl and a spoon out of the dish rack. The dicing would keep Edward occupied; I could scarf down some cereal and get a good deal of the casserole prepped before he'd finished. Pleased with myself, I filled up Charlie's large, stainless steel cooking pot with water and set it on the front boiler before I finally sat down to eat my breakfast.

Though Edward kept his attention on what he was doing, he waited until I was almost done with my cereal before saying, "You asked me how my night went, but I never had the chance to ask you the same. I know Charlie was surprised to see that you were home so early and alone, but you should have heard what he was thinking when you agreed to watch baseball." He chuckled. "Baseball, Bella? I must admit, I was quite intrigued myself."

It took me a second to understand what his words implied. When I did, I narrowed my eyes and, with my hands on my hips, I stared at him accusingly. "You were here last night, weren't you? You didn't leave right away and… and… you spied on me!"

He didn't even have the decency to look ashamed. "I couldn't go right home, not until I made sure that Charlie didn't ground you again. I only stayed outside for a little bit, only long enough to know that Charlie was simply relieved you arrived in one piece. Though, I must admit, he was secretly glad that you came home without me. It was his affection for you, actually, that finally compelled me to return to my family last night. He loves you almost as much as I do, Bella."

Confronted with the depths of his devotion—not to mention the way he could be kind of jealous of my father—I couldn't find it in me to be angry with him. "You know, I should've known. Nothing can keep you away for long, huh?"

Smirking as he glanced over at me, I almost melted into a puddle of Bella-goo at his feet. "Nothing at all, love."

I felt my cheeks heat up at his words, the blood rushing to my cheeks as I blushed a bright red. I don't think I could ever get used to_ that_.

Quickly, in order to take my mind off of my stupid embarrassment, I brought up the subject of baseball again. "The baseball really wasn't all that bad last night. A little boring, and it seemed to drag, but what can you do?" I shrugged. "Regular human baseball definitely loses whatever spark it has after you watch vampires play."

"Well, what did you expect?" he retorted smugly, his white teeth glinting in the faint kitchen light as his smirk widened. "You should come watch us play again sometime so—"

The smirk was gone in a flash, without him even finishing his sentence. In fact, Edward looked absolutely horrified at what he'd just suggested.

Suddenly, the memory of just what happened the last time I tagged along to watch the Cullens play baseball jolted back into my brain. Maybe I was acting more sluggish than usual this morning, or I'd done a really good job of shoving the memories of James and his coven out of my head, because I felt like a complete moron when I pieced together the reasoning behind Edward's sudden mood swing.

In an attempt to distract Edward from _his _memories, I tried to make a joke out of his suggestion. Anything to stop him from looking so upset. "That sounds great, Edward. Who knows? Maybe it'll rain tonight and we can go out and play. With this new vampire visiting, we can make a tradition out of playing baseball with company."

I think I might've gone a bit too far with that last comment but, whether I did or not, it had the effect I wanted it to have. His face relaxed immediately, even if his horrified expression melted away into a scowl.

"Not funny, Bella," he said sternly, setting down his knife. For a second, I thought that I'd offended him and that his retaliation was to stop helping me cook. But then, in a suddenly carefree tone that seemed at odds with his former sternness, he announced, "I'm finished."

I glanced down at the cutting board. Each and every one of the cut pieces of celery and onion were diced in an exact square, sliced so perfectly that it looked like a professional sous-chef had tended carefully to the task.

Figures.

"Good job," I praised him, needlessly. I don't know why I was so surprised—Edward really _can _do everything.

He seemed pleased with my praise, or maybe he was just glad that I wasn't returning to our earlier topic of conversation. "Now that the chopping is out of the way, what else would you like me to do?"

I was stumped. I wasn't used to having so much help in the kitchen. Casting my glance around, I noticed the spitting and popping of the rapidly boiling water. I leaned over and grabbed the bag of egg noodles, handing them to Edward. "I guess you could cook the noodles while I prepare the casserole itself, if you'd like."

"I'd love to." With obvious relish, he opened the bag of egg noodles before tipping the contents into the water. "There. This cooking thing isn't all that difficult."

I rolled my eyes again. I don't think I'd ever been this happy to cook a _casserole_. "If you say so, Edward."

We cooked in silence for a few minutes, the sound of the boiling water and the sizzle of the cream of celery soup in my pan making the only noise. The quiet was comfortable and the atmosphere between us was calm; it was as if every tension, every worry I'd had since Edward met me at Newton's yesterday had just simply faded away.

I knew it wouldn't last, though. We couldn't hang out together in Charlie's kitchen forever. As soon as the casserole was finished and I'd remembered to tell my dad in a note where I'd gone, I knew I'd be whisked away to the Cullens. There was no way out of that—not that I minded, of course. I just wish Edward didn't have a reason to be so protective.

I had managed to forget about the new vampire while eating breakfast and cooking alongside Edward but, now that I'd thought of him again, there was no going back to that blissful unawareness. So, rather than try to pretend like I wasn't thinking about this visitor, I decided to bring him back into a conversation.

"Edward," I began, keeping my attention on the mixture that was heating up in my pan. The cheese was almost melted so I knew it was almost done, "I don't know if I've asked this, but just _when _will he be here?"

He didn't even have to ask to know who I was referring to, it was that obvious.

"Soon, and he should be leaving not much after."

That didn't sound so bad. "Alice saw him leaving?"

"Something like that." Edward busied himself with stirring the noodles in the pot next to mine. When he heard in my silence all the things I wanted to say, he sighed. I guess there was more I needed to know. "Alice told me last night she sees him arriving at the house no later than tonight. He'll be gone by morning, but only from the house—and, of course, that's based on his current decisions, so I'm not entirely sure how long he'll linger. But, remember, no worries."

"I'm not worried," I lied automatically, my stomach tightening as I turned my attention back to my concoction. I could smell the cheese burning and the sharp smell wasn't helping my nerves.

"I'm glad." His response was just as robotic. I was a terrible liar; he must've known that I'd fibbed.

Though he didn't look at me when he answered my question, I could tell from the set of his jaw and the sudden flatness of his eyes that _he _was more concerned about this visitor than he let on. I knew he was a little worried—why else would he insist that he keep me in his sight?—but there was a touch of panic underlying the stillness of his response.

There must have been concern written on my face but, for the moment, Edward didn't attempt to look for it. Keeping his head down, he dipped his wooden spoon into the pot before withdrawing a single, floppy noodle. "Can you tell me if the noodle is cooked thoroughly?" he asked stiffly, offering the spoon out towards me. It was my responsibility to be the taster; if Edward tried, he'd have a partial piece of egg noodle swishing around his empty stomach for all eternity.

Chewing it without really tasting it, I nodded. "They're done." I reached out and turned off the gas to both boilers. "The rest of the mix is done, too," I told him when he looked at me questioningly. "Now all we have to do is add the noodles to it and bake it for half an hour."

Edward just nodded in return. There was a serious, enraptured expression on his face that I recognized—and it had nothing to do with the present situation. It was the look he wore in school when a teacher approached a new subject; Edward was actually absorbing what I said as if he was trying to memorize just how to make a freaking tuna casserole.

Slapdash and probably a bit haphazardly considering I nearly burned myself, I strained the egg noodles before combining them with my cheesy tuna mixture in the glass casserole dish. For some reason, I was only really confident when I was in the kitchen and, as Edward watched me in amazement—and, surprisingly, without a single wrinkled nose due to the pungency of the tuna fish—I easily, and almost gracefully, opened the oven door and slid the casserole in before turning towards the microwave and setting the timer for thirty minutes.

The kitchen, despite my best efforts, was messy and full of used dishes but, before I started to clean them up, I decided I should write my note to Charlie first.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked, honest curiosity in his voice.

I almost didn't hear him over my rummaging in the junk drawer. Only when I found a sheet of paper and a ballpoint pen and held them up in satisfaction did I answer him. "I wanted to write a note for Charlie. I might as well let him know that I didn't run off with you. Not yet, that is," I added, almost half-kidding.

It was Edward's turn to roll his eyes as I set the paper down on the kitchen table and started to scribble.

_Dad,_

_I'm off from work this weekend and, since Edward's brother and sister came home for the rest of the summer, the Cullens invited me to a welcome home bash for the two of them. I'll be there if you need me, you have the phone number. Don't wait up._

_Love you!_

_Bella_

"You know that Charlie's not going to like it that you're spending the night out again." I heard Edward mumble that quietly and, despite his near-whisper, there was no denying the doubt in his voice. I wasn't really all that surprised; eventually I knew he would try to talk himself into leaving me behind _just in case_.

Well, I wasn't about to let that happen. Looking up from the note I was scribbling, my writing an atrocious chicken scratch, I reminded him, "That's why we made him a tuna casserole. With a full belly and a good game on the television, he'll hardly know I'm gone."

Edward laughed at my certainty. "They do say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Nodding my head in agreement, I leaned back down and added a postscript, jotting it down so quickly that it was almost illegible.

_P.S. Edward and I made you enough tuna casserole to last you the rest of the weekend. I left it out cooling—all you have to do is warm it up. So no more pizza, okay?_

"Hmm…"

Placing the pen down next to the note, I stood up and turned around, looking him right in the eye. That sound was way too suspicious for me. "What?"

One of his long, pale fingers ran along the paper, underlining the postscript. "Do you think it was the smartest idea to tell your father that I helped make his meal? He just might be disinclined to eat it."

"Why? Do you think he's going to suspect you of poisoning it?" I thought about my question for a second before picking the pen back up and crossing out the part that said 'Edward and'. After all, Charlie was a police chief who harbored an ill-hidden grudge against his only daughter's serious boyfriend. There was no way he wouldn't suspect Edward of doing _something _to his dinner. "Good point."

I set the pen down again, angling the note so that Charlie would see it as soon as he walked into the kitchen. The last thing I needed was for my dad to miss it and worry that I'd vanished without a trace when I didn't come home. He'd been so peeved after the whole Phoenix/spring break mess that only my severe injuries kept him from killing me himself.

After washing the dishes and putting them in the dish rack to dry, I glanced at the timer. There was only ten more minutes left for the casserole to bake.

Edward had taken a seat while I was cleaning up. As soon as he saw that I was done, he reached for my hand and gently pulled me into his lap. We sat together, Edward resuming his gentle kisses on my neck as we waited for the food to finish so that we could finally leave.

I cursed the stupid timer when it finally went off. I didn't want to ever move from this position.

* * *

Author's Note: _Well, I read _Breaking Dawn_ and, while I'm not even going to get into _that_, I don't have to worry about going against canon with this. In fact, I'm a little appreciative of one small thing that I can definitely use to my advantage (regarding a certain vampire's special ability). Other than that, this story will remain planted firmly in the timeline I'm currently using._

_I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was one of the easier ones to write, though that might be because the next chapter is so very plot-driven that it was nice to have a little bit of E/B fluff before what happens next ;)_


	10. Windblown

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Nine  
WINDBLOWN

--

As I noticed when I peeked out of my window earlier this morning, there was no shiny, silver Volvo parked on my street. I wasn't surprised, especially since Edward told me that he'd arrived shortly before dawn and there was no way he could leave his car out there for Charlie to see when he left, but that didn't mean that I was pleased at what the missing vehicle implied. In fact, I was the opposite of pleased and the way I rolled my eyes and huffed as Edward led me out the front door told him that.

There was an innocent twinkle in his golden eyes. "Anything wrong, Bella?"

Unlike before, when he'd asked me something similar to that, I knew he wasn't anywhere near as concerned as he was currently pretending to be. He didn't need to read my mind to know that I wasn't glad to see that he was at my house sans-Volvo.

"No car again, I see."

"Is that so?" He narrowed his gaze at the empty stretch of street before us. Then, feigning anger—I'd seen Edward really angry so it was easy to tell that he was pretending—he pointed one of his long and pale fingers at my curb. "Wow, you're right. It looks like, this time, someone stole _my_ car," he quipped, surprising me by making a blatant reference to Phoenix when he had to steal a car.

"And with this stunning piece of machinery right here, too," he added, teasing me by gesturing right at my old truck. Sure, it was pretty beat up looking but I bet I could take on his fancy, shiny car. Maybe not in a race or anything but, if we ever got in an accident, my Chevy would definitely take his Volvo out.

"Hey," I said, frowning. I took more offense that he was making fun of my car than that he was ribbing me. "My truck's a classic, any car thief would be lucky to get in it."

"Not much of a get away when the stolen vehicle can't climb above 55, Bella."

I ignored that. Besides, if Edward was in as good of a mood that he could tease me when a potential threat was heading towards Forks, well, I figured I could afford to take a couple of shots back. All in the name of love, of course.

"Okay, then, Mr. I-Can-Read-Minds. If someone stole your car, why don't you use your mind reading to find out who did it?"

He seemed mildly pleased that I was carrying on with his charade. That intrigued me a little, and made me a little suspicious. Edward wasn't one to boast about his special abilities, especially since it was one that I was immune to. But now… he was smiling—alright, smirking smugly, but still. It was almost as if all of this was a show, that he was acting much sillier than usual to keep _my _mind off of something.

And, as he kept on talking—saying the magic word 'Charlie' as he did—it definitely worked.

"I _could _do that but it wouldn't be fair to deprive Charlie… I mean Chief Swan… of the opportunity to hunt down a car thief. I doubt he gets to see much action in Forks. It'll be good for him to sharpen his crime-fighting skills, don't you think?" he added, still managing to sound as innocent as possible. I don't know why he doesn't go out for the drama club or anything; his amazingly good looks aside, Edward would have no trouble getting the lead in any production.

I also didn't know what was funnier at that moment: that he seemed so sincere when suggesting that Charlie would be able to track down this hypothetical grand theft auto maniac better than he would, or that he seemed to think that Charlie had any so-called 'crime-fighting' skills to begin with. Of the two, I guess it had to be the latter; the idea of my dad in a superhero costume, running off to nab evil wrongdoers, was just too great to pass up. I had to laugh.

Trying my best to stifle my chuckles—I didn't want Edward to think he won—I tried to steer the subject back around to his conveniently stolen car. "So, you want to go find Charlie and tell him someone took your Volvo?"

He smiled back at me. "Absolutely. Though, now that I think about it, I wonder if that's the best idea."

Edward left his sentence there, dangling in front of me like so much bait. As he must have known I would have, I took a bite. "And why's that?"

"He is the chief of police in a small town, Bella. Sure, he knows all about crime but, you have to admit, he does seem to have an excess of time on his hands." Bowing his head in my direction, he waited to see my reaction to his assessment of Charlie's job.

I nodded my head and shrugged my shoulders. His description was pretty spot on.

He continued, "Now, who's to say that he's not the one who made off with my vehicle?"

My eyebrow arched, unsure where he was going with this. Hypothetical scenarios or not, I had a hard time imagining my dad as any kind of thief—he even pays for all of his cable!

"Are you telling me that you think _Charlie _stole your car?"

Edward grinned widely and I knew he meant no harm. "Well, in his defense, it would make it more difficult for me to be around as often if I didn't have my own means of transportation."

It wasn't difficult to understand just what he was implying. Considering that Charlie unfairly blamed Edward for my running off on him back in March, I wasn't surprised—just bothered—that he treated Edward a touch unkinder than he should. He didn't even have to be able to read my dad's mind to know that he wished Edward would just disappear; his open hostility at times was unmistakable.

Shaking my head, kind of uncomfortable as I thought of the stubborn way that Charlie could act, I didn't meet his gaze. "That's just Charlie," I told him, hoping I could believe my words, "he'll come around." After all, Charlie was going to have to accept Edward sooner or later if he wanted me to stay with him in his house in Forks. As far as I was concerned, me and Edward were a package deal.

If only he knew the truth, if only my dad had any idea just how much I loved Edward Cullen and how far I was prepared to go to be with him forever… but who am I kidding? It was bad enough, in Charlie's eyes, that Edward was a _boy_ who taking all of his only child's—his only _daughter_'s—attention. Charlie would never be able to handle the fact that the Cullens he thought so highly of were a family of vampires.

Hey, at least then he would finally know that his old friend, Billy Black, wasn't completely full of it all along…

I was jerked suddenly out of my thoughts by the gently yet cool feel of his finger as he lightly touched my cheek. He drew my focus back to him. There was a reassuring smile on his beautiful face and, in that way he had that made me question his certainty that he couldn't read my mind, he murmured, "I'm not all that worried about Charlie. You're right, he'll get used to my presence in time, I'm sure."

His smile turned teasing as he brought his hand down low before reaching it out in front of him. Our fingers brushed once before he used his longer fingers to entangle mine, ensnaring them in his trap. Wordlessly, he twisted his hand this way and that; when he'd finished, he had my sweaty, clammy hand—he never complained at the thin sheen that was ever present—held firmly in his.

"Until then," he added, "shouldn't we be glad that my entire family already loves you and accepts you for who you are? Bella, my beautiful love—"

Trying not to blush my pleasure, I quickly interrupted, "And don't forget clumsy."

"—beautiful, _clumsy_ love," he amended, his eyes twinkling. He lifted our entwined hands up into the air so he could kiss my knuckles with his smooth lips.

My heart was beating double time in my chest, my skin burning where his cool lips made contact. He was looking down at me with such adoration on his godlike features that I almost didn't notice that small, niggling feeling in the pit of my stomach; the feeling that reminded me that, no matter how much we both wished his words were true, he was lying. I _did _notice it, though, and it was a little bit of a killjoy.

I should have kept my mouth shut then. There was no reason to upset Edward. But I didn't; I guess I just couldn't forget it. For me, this sweet moment was only soured by the dark and distant look she'd given me yesterday. I just couldn't believe his lie that his _entire _family was so accepting of me as one of them.

"Except for Rosalie, you mean." I turned my head away from him, the words muttered before I knew it.

I immediately felt guilty when, after I dared a glance back in his direction, I saw that the spark had gone out of his eyes. Sighing, he lowered our hand but he did not remove his heavy gaze from the side of my face. Edward couldn't deny his sister's intense dislike of me any more than he could explain it to me.

"Rosalie," he murmured quietly, though I'm positive there was a hint of a huff directed towards his sister, "she'll come around, too… eventually."

"Eventually is good," I agreed, giving his hand a tight squeeze as I smiled up at him. I didn't want him to know how much it upset me that there was that undeniable friction between Edward and Rosalie caused by my presence in his life. All that mattered, really, was that we were happy together.

And, besides, I still had Alice.

My smile relaxed him and the sudden damper on the mood caused by thoughts of Rosalie seemed to fade. He gave me a quick grin then and, loosening his grip on my hand, he expertly used his light grasp to lift me in the air. My stomach dropped at once but, a split second later, I was settling on his suddenly crouching back.

"Edward!"

I hadn't been expecting him to do that; I just barely managed to hang on, wrapping both my arms and legs around him like an overexcited spider monkey.

As I clung to my perch, preparing myself (and my foolishly full stomach) for what was to come, it suddenly occurred to me that my earlier suspicion was true. All that playful banter had been to keep my mind off of the journey to the Cullens house that was to come. I never believed that his car was stolen. It just was nice to think that, for once, he'd actually planned on travelling through Forks in a way that didn't make me sick.

Clinging as tightly to him as I could, I huffed and closed my eyes, hiding my face in his neck. He smelled good, definitely, but his delectable scent wasn't doing my suddenly queasy stomach any favors.

At least when we were driving in his car and he was topping one hundred, the Volvo itself acted as an illusion of safety. When he was running around with me on his back, there was just me, him and the tree. Edward would survive, of course, and maybe even the tree… but me? I'd never have a chance.

I definitely preferred it when he kissed me into forgetting my motion sickness. Telling me his car was missing and slyly blaming Charlie had been too sneaky and, without any kisses at all, I was being carried again. That wasn't very fair.

"Hold on tight, Bella. We wouldn't want you falling now, would we?"

I grimaced. He didn't see. "That's not funny, Edward."

The only response he gave me was a very hearty chuckle before he started to run.

He ran so fast that, when I kept my eyes closed tight, the only way I could tell that we were actually moving was the feel of my hair streaming behind me and the whipping wind stinging my poor cheeks. The red tinge from the windburn was the only time my albino-pale skin ever held any color but it wasn't worth the trade-off.

Now, I trusted him more than anyone else I knew. I was certain that he would never let me get hurt while he all but flew through the woods and around the trees that made up the too-green Forks. But still… you never know. What if he tripped? He couldn't always be so graceful. Hanging around me was bound to rub off on him sooner or later.

I swallowed back a small shriek as I felt him leap in the air. No doubt he was attempting to jump over a fallen log or something in his path; whatever it was, it felt like we were flying. I squeezed him tighter, wishing the run was over already. When he ran around with me on his back like I was nothing more than luggage, that was the only time I ever wished I wasn't with him. I definitely wouldn't have minded driving my truck over if he'd wanted me to.

Shoot, I would have happily agreed to let him drive if he wanted to. That was how much his speed both terrified and sickened me.

A tiny voice in the back of my head asked me what it would be like when I—if Edward finally agreed—became a vampire. I pushed it aside. I did know one thing, though: _when _I was a vampire, I wouldn't show off by running this fast. Sure, I'd be more graceful and definitely sturdier but I wasn't quite sure that I wouldn't still get motion sick.

In a desperate bid to keep my mind off of the exhilarated and carefree way that Edward laughed out loud as he incredibly increased his pace, I wondered if vampires _even_ get motion sickness. I doubted it but, then again, when I was a vampire, I'd probably find a way to get ill. And, to be honest, I was still trying to wrap my mind around the necessity of drinking animal blood once he finally relented and changed me. Hopefully, by then, I could convince myself that the rusty, salty smell didn't really bother me as much as I imagined it did.

Positive thinking could do wonders. It was just a pity that nothing I told myself could make these journeys with him any easier.

I sighed and, over the whistle of the whipping wind, I heard the clear sound of Edward's amused chuckle.

"What?" I hollered, yelling needlessly. I could have whispered and Edward, his head as close to mine as it was, would have heard me easily.

My ears, though, were nowhere near as sensitive as his. When he answered me, he too had to yell. "Your breath, Bella. It tickles."

"I'm sorry. I'll try not to breathe again."

He laughed again, leaving me to wonder if my sarcasm was lost on him or not. "Please do. I like the warmth on my neck, it feels nice."

Purposely exhaling as slowly as I could, I nuzzled my cheek against the back of his neck. It was icy cool, creating a soothing contrast to the sticky, humid heat of the woods. It was still early morning—maybe ten o'clock or so—and the damp dew from dawn still covered many of the tree's leaves. Every now and then, a drop or two would fall on my head and shoulders. It was an overcast morning and I was waiting for the rain to fall.

It held off for the run to the Cullens house, at least, though I knew it wouldn't last much longer. By the time we broke through the trees, and his quick pace slowed so much so that I felt brave enough to open my eyes again, I saw that the clouds above us had turned a very dark grey color. Thunderstorms were coming.

I groaned. Considering how far off the beaten path the Cullens lived, it was always nice for it to be a beautiful, sunny day when I knew I was staying there for the afternoon. Because of Edward's propensity to sparkle in direct sunlight—one of his many vampire attributes—we couldn't really go out on one of Forks rare sunny days. However, he was more than willing to relax outside with me, basking in the sun, when we were tucked away safely in their sanctuary.

But, no. Not today. I guess the weather bureau didn't get the notice that we were staying in today because, instead of a tiny glimpse of sun, I was confronted with clouds that were varying shades of deep grey and sickly purple. There was going to be one doozy of a storm today.

Edward heard my groan and, now that he had slowed his run to a gentle trot as we approached the great white house, he turned his head so that I could easily stare at his flawless profile. He raised an eyebrow.

I gave him a half-smile, interpreting his confused expression easily. "I was hoping that we might see some sun today," I explained.

"Almost a whole year in Forks and you haven't grown accustomed to all this lovely rain yet, Bella?"

He was teasing and I knew it but that didn't mean I was going to hide my slight scowl. I would live in a rain cloud for all eternity if it meant I could stay with Edward but… well, it was nice to see sun rays every now and again. Not to mention, it was pretty amazing to watch his marble-like skin shine like a diamond in sunlight.

I shook my head. "It just rains so much here. I feel like a sponge."

"I'll do my best to keep you dry," he promised earnestly, sounding serious all of a sudden. It was almost as if he was promising to keep me safe all over again.

Quickly, I tried think of something to change the subject. The last thing I needed today was to be reminded just how serious this afternoon might be. It was much better to pretend like this was just another day, that I was just going over to the Cullens because, otherwise, I would be home alone without Charlie.

I thought of Charlie briefly, and of the coming rain. He would probably be home way before I was. I just hoped the lure of a fresh tuna casserole was enough for him to forgive me for leaving him alone again.

Edward was still looking at me, sincerity written all over his face. I felt a rush of affection for him, like I always did, before tearing my attention from his hypnotizing eyes. We were a few hundred feet from the house and, even though I had weak human eyes, I could see someone waiting out on the front porch. They were tiny and, as I squinted my eyes, I was pretty sure I could make out a shock of dark hair.

"Is that… is that Alice on your porch?"

As soon as I said her name, the little figure that was sitting there suddenly jumped up as if she was resting on a spring. "Bella!"

Edward didn't look surprised at all to see his sister. He stopped for a second, nodding his greeting to her—or, perhaps, answering some unsaid question, I wasn't sure—before lowering himself down so that he was nearly kneeling on the damp grass. I took that as my cue to dismount.

Thank goodness.

Once I was standing on my feet again—and, admittedly, resisting the urge to kiss the ground I walked on—Edward moved his right arm so that it was slung lightly around my waist. He knew me too well. My legs were definitely wobbly from the rush of his run and, without his support, it was very possible that I might have fallen.

"Alice," I greeted her, waving my hand energetically as I smiled. She was waving just as happily back at me as Edward and I walked over to meet her on the porch.

When we arrived right before her, Alice reached out exuberantly and threw her arms around me. Her golden eyes, just as bright and lively as Edward's, were twinkling as she gave me a hug. "Bella, I'm so glad you're here!"

It was always so nice to be received by Alice Cullen. Not only was she so adorable, with her petite stature and her pixie-cut hairstyle, but she was so honest and bubbly. If she said that she was glad I was here, I believed her immediately. And, even though she was a vampire, she wasn't afraid to handle me; unlike Edward, she wasn't afraid that a simple hug would break me in half.

I gave her a quick hug back, taking great care not to glance at Edward. As soon as Alice threw herself at me, Edward had gently removed his arm and taken a step back, giving me and Alice space. I knew that, if I dared look at him, there would be a disapproving expression on his face. He didn't appreciate it when his family—well, Alice—treated me so carelessly. It was a bit obnoxious really.

"Me, too," I answered, unable to contain my grin. I almost wanted to ask her how she knew I would be coming since she obviously was waiting but, before I even asked, I had the answer. No doubt Edward had, after talking it over with his family last night, told them that he would be returning with me in tow.

Then again, this wasAlice. It was entirely possible that his decision to bring me back was impulsive, a result of his tendency to overreact, but there was never any hiding something from Alice. In fact, I don't think there were any secrets in the Cullen household. When there was a psychic and a mind reader in the family, secrets were far too difficult to have and to keep.

Pulling back, Alice shot one of her tiny, pale fingers out and reached for a lock of my hair. "A more natural approach to blow drying your hair, Bella?"

I felt my cheeks heat up as I imagined how awfully windblown my hair looked. I'd never bothered pulling it back after taking my shower and now, after running through half of the wooded area of Forks, it must be all over the place. I just hoped Alice had a brush I could borrow.

But, like I said, this _was _Alice. I'd probably be better off walking around like Cousin It than let the makeover queen get anywhere in the vicinity of me and a hairbrush. Who knows what would happen then.

I had the sudden image of me wearing more make-up than a beauty queen with hair done up like a frou-frou poodle. Reaching behind me to pat my hair self-consciously, I tried to hide a shudder. "I guess you could say that, Alice," I said, grimacing, before slyly trying to change the subject. "You know those girls who ride around in a convertible, speeding in the wind with both their hair and the top down?"

Grinning impishly at me as she eyed the mess that was obviously my hair, Alice nodded. "Oh, yes."

"That's what running with your speed demon brother is like."

I know I sounded bitter but Alice seemed to get my point. At any rate, she definitely laughed. And Edward… he just looked as if he had conveniently missed the entire exchange.

* * *

Author's Note: _Here we go. A little late, and a little different from where I wanted to go this chapter, but it's done. I was suffering with dreadful writer's block this chapter—not to mention, taking a small break this last week with the leak of MS and the drama in fandom that ensued—but, after sitting down this weekend and trying to plot out the next scene, I decided to add a little bit more fluff. In a couple of chapters, the E/B becomes minimal as Rosalie starts to shine… I thought I would add a little bit more about Edward and Bella before introducing different elements._

_Until then, I'll leave you with the image of a nonchalant Edward, an annoyed Bella and a thoroughly amused Alice. Next chapter, we'll finally learn more about this new vampire and, perhaps, just what he wants with the Cullens._


	11. Eventually

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Ten  
EVENTUALLY

--

He didn't let his sister laugh at his—or mine, I guess—expense for long. As he calmly patted my long, brown hair in place, I heard him say stubbornly, "I like her hair just the way it is, Alice. Besides, Bella looks stunning regardless."

My blush deepened at his words; I'd never had the chance for it to fade, or for the blood to stop rushing to my face. Edward's devotion was almost unbelievable at times and, when we were alone, I could appreciate it, even if I did marvel at the depths of it. But it could definitely be embarrassing to see him get so overprotective over Alice. It was _Alice_, for goodness sake!

Luckily for me and my super sensitive blushing reflexes, she knew him well enough after almost fifty years of living together not to take to heart his reaction. She wasn't offended, nor did she find anything awkward about the way he was so darn defensive. She was just the type of person to take it all in stride; in short, Alice was awesome.

"Relax, Edward," she said, rolling her eyes at him, "I wasn't insulting her."

His eyebrow quirked in ill-disguised disbelief. "Oh, no? Then what were you doing?"

Gesturing at my face with one of her dainty hands, Alice smiled mischievously over at her brother. "I was complimenting Bella on her rather… artistic sense of hair design, if you must know. Plus," she added, "it was very environmentally sound of her to use your speed to dry her hair, saving all that electricity. Not to mention time, too, and, of course, going green_ is_ all the rage." She shook her head, giggling. "Honestly, I thought you would _approve_."

Her high soprano voice was as clear as a bell; the small giggle that punctuated her tease sounded like tinkling. It was very difficult for me not to respond to the humor in her voice. I almost choked in my attempt to keep my own chuckles back.

Edward, on the other hand, did not seem like he was in the mood to kid around now that we had made it to his house. Frowning slightly as his eyes darkened broodingly, he ignored his sister's joking manner. Still absently stroking my hair, his touch so feather light that I barely noticed him doing it, he asked, "Do you have any news for us? Have you seen anything else?"

Like I'd thought yesterday, when Edward was talking things over with Esme, I had the feeling that the only reason he was actually _asking _her if there was any news was because he wanted me to hear the answer too. Thank goodness.

While, admittedly, I was a little nervous that the Cullens were expecting a visitor, I was more bothered by the way that Edward had kept all those secrets from me. He could have very easily dipped into Alice's brain to discover if she knew anything more about this new vampire. By asking her out loud, he was letting her know that he wasn't looking to keep anymore secrets.

Boy, did that make me glad. I didn't think I could handle another afternoon at the Cullens, not having any idea what was going on.

And I know that I was reading more into his actions that I probably should but Alice… she didn't even blink when he asked her his questions. Immediately, without even the slightest pause, she had an answer for him. Unfortunately, though, the answer she had really wasn't much of one at all.

Leaning against one of the porch railings, Alice spoke quickly and energetically, directly her speech right to Edward.

"After you left, I talked to Rosalie and Emmett last night again. Rose didn't really want to add anything more than she'd already had but I think Emmett was feeling frustrated. In between beating up a handful of pillows, he told me all about how they met this guy in Africa and that he'd mentioned meeting up with them again in Forks after his trip ended. Now, remember how I told you that I saw a stranger visiting us, just curious to see how our family was able to live so peacefully among humans?"

Without even waiting for confirmation from Edward, she kept on speaking, her high pitched voice almost a buzz in my ears.

"Ever since that first glimpse of a stranger in Forks, I've been keeping my eye on him. From what I gather, he left Africa almost immediately after they did and this _is_ his destination. He's still very much set on coming here. He's moving quickly, though," she admitted, her perfect nose wrinkling, "much faster than you would expect from someone just interested in checking out our coven."

I was watching Edward's face as Alice talked and I wasn't surprised to see him nod slowly, his frown deepening as he did so. He was absorbing everything that she said, even if he didn't like it. I wondered how far he was in her narrative. Using his gift, he could, if he wanted to, share in her visions. So, what was _he_ seeing?

Alice recognized his contemplative mood and, if possible, she attempted to speak even faster in order to get the rest of her answer out before he had the chance to interrupt her.

"He traveled all night but he decided to stop this morning to… to hunt," she said, pausing only slightly to see Edward's reaction at the news; she didn't even dare look at me as she tried, in the most delicate way possible, not to mention specifically what the vampire had stopped to hunt.

I knew one thing: it wasn't for a mountain lion or an irritable grizzly.

"He didn't seem that thirsty and I don't think he was planning on prolonging his journey here but, at the last minute, he changed his mind. I can only assume he doesn't want any temptations when he arrives," she explained, sounding almost apologetic that she didn't have any true insight into the inner workings of his mind, rather than being able to know what this stranger was going to do as soon as _he _knew.

She could see what he was doing but she didn't know the motives behind his actions. Then again, I guess that was what Edward was for…

"He started running again not much after and there's no doubt that he's heading here to meet us all," Alice added, her voice suddenly glum, as if she was hoping that her vision was wrong. "He's running fast, too."

Listening intently to everything she had to say, Edward nodded gravely as soon as she finished. "So, tonight then?"

"As far as I can see."

"And nothing's changed from last night?"

He was trying his best to sound nonchalant but he couldn't hide the quick glance in my direction. I saw it, though; I'd never let my attention stray from him so, when he turned his profile slightly so that his eyes flickered to my face and then back to Alice's, there was no way I could have missed that.

Alice briefly followed his gaze, pausing to frown cryptically before shaking her head. "No, Edward. But it could, you know, at any moment. You do realize that, don't you?"

"Of course, I do."

The atmosphere surrounding the two of them was suddenly questionable. There were definitely things being left unsaid and, once again, I felt like I was the only one being left out of the loop. Hoping to change that, or maybe even change the subject, I searched for some way to jump into the conversation. Something Alice had said gave me an idea.

"At least he stopped to hunt on his way," I said brightly, trying my best not to remember just _what_ he had hunted. "There's no reason to worry about him hunting any humans in Forks now, right?" My voice was happy and cheery despite the sinister subject matter. I tried to sound unconcerned but I don't think I pulled it off. I'm nowhere near as good an actor as Edward.

For a moment, I thought he was going to scold me about my admittedly cavalier use of the word 'human'. Just as he kept trying to remind me that I was still—currently against my will, I might add—a human, I liked to show him how I had already distanced myself away from them. As far as I was concerned, Bella Swan was a former human, almost vampire. Only Edward's unwarranted stubbornness prevented me from fully completing the change.

But, most unexpectedly, he chose to disregard my statement. His head swiveled back so that he was only facing Alice and the two of them shared a pointed look. This time, whatever was going through his head, he didn't want to share his—or her—thoughts with me.

Without even stopping to say anything about my comment, he started to ask Alice eagerly for more details, for anything she might have discovered about this stranger from her visions. Obviously aware that he was only pumping her for more knowledge in an attempt to bypass my input, she gave one last glimpse in my direction before offering up any small thing that might mean something to Edward.

Now, I thought my point was a valid one, even if I could have shown more compassion for the hapless victims of a thirsty vampire. While I couldn't condone murder in any sense, I understood that vampires had to eat and that very few of them followed the Cullens' chosen 'vegetarian' diet. But, there was no denying the relief I felt at knowing that this new vampire wouldn't have to hunt while visiting Washington and I couldn't understand why it had to be glossed over like that.

Barely listening to the quick-paced nature of their continued conversation, I resolved to ask Alice about her reaction (and maybe his) as soon as I got the chance. I knew that, if I even tried to ask Edward, I wouldn't get a straight answer out of him. He liked to keep certain things to himself because he thought I was too delicate, I guess, to hear them. This had to be one of those things.

In my experience, anything that had to do with vampires was _one of those things_.

Luckily for me and my curiosity, Alice was different. She knew better, and I was fairly certain she would answer me truthfully.

If, of course, Edward ever let me out of his sight long enough for me to corner his sister and ask her. Knowing him, that was pretty much going to be impossible. Sometimes I thought that, if it wasn't for his deeply ingrained sense of chivalry, he would follow me into the bathroom just to make sure I didn't drown in the toilet.

Shaking my head at that mental image, I realized I'd zoned out a couple of minutes ago. I dared a glance over at Edward. As far as I could tell, neither one noticed my momentary lapse into zombie-dom. Relieved, I decided I should probably start listening to what was going on around me.

"… really don't think there's much to worry about," Alice was saying, her voice calm and soothing as if she was trying to reassure Edward—which, now that I think about it, was what she was probably doing. "It'll be over before we know it, things will get back to normal, and you can go back to wrestling Emmett for the remote."

If she was trying to get a rise out of him, or trying to lighten the mood again, it didn't work. Edward looked as serious as ever as he finally decided that it was safe to pay attention to me again.

"What do you think, Bella?"

I was momentarily taken aback by his question. I don't know if he was asking me to be courteous or because he was genuinely interested… I was pretty sure it was the latter. He seemed to always want to know what was on my mind.

"I… I think it's going to be fine, Edward," I told him. Not like, if I thought anything different, I would tell him otherwise. "There doesn't seem to be any threat. At least, I don't think there is since Alice didn't see one. So there shouldn't be a problem."

"Right," she cut in smoothly, wrapping one of her cool hands around my upper arm. You would never be able to tell from her small stature but she was just as strong as Edward. Without letting him try to stop her, she started to pull me towards the house. "Come on, Bella, Edward. Let's go inside. Everyone's waiting in the den."

"Everyone?"

He took the words right out of my mouth.

Alice made a face, a grimace that did nothing to mar her perfection. "Well, not Rosalie, of course."

Of course.

After my earlier conversation with him about Charlie and Rosalie, this small reminder that she disliked me so much was like a little dig in my side. I felt my lips curving down in an obvious frown. I tried to hide it as quickly as I could.

I wasn't quick enough. He saw my reaction and immediately scowled.

"Why is Rosalie hiding?" Edward demanded, his eyes flashing angrily. I think he was remembering our talk of 'eventually', too. "Does she regret luring this threat here? Is that it, Alice?"

He spoke loudly, lifting his voice so that any of the keen of hearing vampires in the house—all five of them—would be able to make out his complaint. I had the hunch that that was his intent; at the very least, he wanted _one _of them to hear him.

Despite his assurances otherwise, I knew Edward was a little bit nervous. _I _was nervous. But that didn't mean he had to take out his nerves on Rosalie. I had half a mind to let him know that, however I wished differently, today was not 'eventually'.

I didn't have to worry about it, though, and I didn't have to stick up for Rosalie, either. Alice had that one all covered.

She rolled her eyes again. "Oh, don't be like that, Edward. You know as well as I do that this isn't her fault." We were at the front door, her hand on the doorknob. Winking at me as she opened the door, she added, "Besides, if anyone's at fault, it's Emmett. He's the one who had to go and boast about the great Cullen family of the Olympic Peninsula."

"I heard that!"

Emmett's voice boomed through the open foyer as we entered the house. Nobody else was in that front room and it amazed me that his voice could carry to it from the den area.

Letting go of my arm, Alice shot me a triumphant look before gracefully bounding off in the direction of Emmett's voice. "I meant you to," she trilled back at him, skipping lightly across the room.

As soon as she was gone, I turned behind me to look at Edward. He'd hung back in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes were still dark, his lips thinned and his hands balled into tight fists at his side.

It wasn't just Rosalie's refusal to come down that was angering him—he was just using that as a front, I was almost sure of it. But, as I laid my hand carefully on his arm, I couldn't figure what had caused this sudden shift in his mood. It was one thing to be uncertain, to be cautious… but Edward looked absolutely furious.

I really hoped there wasn't something in one of Alice's visions that made him act this way. It was the only explanation I could think of. That, or my comment struck a deeper chord than I realized.

Though it was pointless to even assume that his family couldn't hear us, I whispered to him anyway. "Edward?"

Whether it was the sound of his name or the sound of my voice, he responded instantly. Relaxing immediately, I could feel the tension flee from his body underneath my fingertips. There was still a weary look in his eyes but, as he took my hand back in his, he shared a smile with me.

"Come on," he murmured, his voice velvety smooth once more, "they're waiting for us."

It was very homey to follow Edward's lead into the den and find almost all of the Cullens sitting together in the den. I saw Esme first, her head turned over her shoulder, waving cheerfully as we entered. I waved back. She was perched comfortably on the edge of a leather loveseat, her second hand clasped securely in her husband's.

Carlisle Cullen, Edward's father and the head of their family, was sitting next to Esme, talking in undertones to her. When we approached, he followed Esme's gaze, turning his head to greet us both. His lips turned up, quirked in a charming grin, and it made me slightly stunned; there was a reason that all of the nurses down at the hospital had crushes on the young doctor.

"Hello," he said warmly, "it's so good to see you again, Bella." Esme nodded her head in agreement.

When I was able to find my voice again, I replied, "You, too. I'm sorry I missed you yesterday." I sounded a little out of breath. It was very easy, when talking to Carlisle, to see where Edward had picked up on his habit to unintentionally dazzle us humans.

"It's been so busy down at the hospital. With school starting up again so soon, there are plenty of check-ups to be done, not to mention seasonal allergies to diagnose and treat." Laughing to himself, he added, "Honestly, it's a good thing I don't need to sleep. I'd never find any time to."

Esme joined in with his laughter. It sounded so light-hearted and cheery that it was hard to believe they were concerned with this visiting vampire. Only the vague sense of apprehension I could feel settling over the room made me understand that my presence here wasn't just because Edward was overprotective. The others were unsettled by this sudden visit, too.

Without a word to his father or mother, Edward carefully placed his hand against my back before guiding me towards a matching sofa. It was empty and, with a tiny nod, he gestured for me to take a seat. I did. He sat down immediately beside me.

The den was small and cozy. Apart from the loveseat along the sofa's edge, there were only two more recliners furnishing the room, Emmett, for all his bulk, was sitting in one, filling up most of the dark leather seat as he sat sideways. When he saw me looking at him, he winked theatrically, a large and goofy grin splitting his boyish face.

He waved before pointing at Edward. "Ah, don't go listening to anything Edward says, Bella. He gets a little uptight sometimes, doesn't realize what a great opportunity this can be." Clapping his hands together, his grin turned deadly serious—still goofy, but definitely lethal. I made a mental note never to get on _his _bad side. "If that guy makes one move, I'll take him out. Rose wouldn't let me fight in Africa but I'd like to see him try anything now. This is my turf!"

"Emmett, you're just saying that because you feel bad about telling him where we live."

I heard Alice before I saw her and it took me a second to find her. She was sitting, cross-legged on the floor, her back leaning up against the front of the second recliner. Her grin was wicked, her warm, butterscotch eyes dancing, as she teased her much bigger brother. She was sure brave; I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to talk to Emmett like that. He looked like he could snap her right in half!

"That's not true," he countered, his laughter a roar, "I'm saying that because I feel bad that I didn't get to take him out while on my honeymoon!"

Alice echoed his laughter with her sweet, tinkling giggles as she tilted her head upwards. "Jazz, you never dreamt of going and picking a fight when we were on our honeymoon, did you?"

Jasper, Alice's mate (and husband) for far longer than I'd even been alive, was sitting on the edge of that second recliner. Tall, thin and fair, there was a strange gentle quality to him on the surface that a quiet disposition and troubled eyes revealed as feigned to anyone foolish enough to get too close. Of all of the Cullens, Jasper found their chosen lifestyle the most difficult; as such, he was the most dangerous of them all.

From my place across the room, it was hard to remember that danger. He'd been so kind to me, if a little distant, during that time in Phoenix and after. Even now, as he felt my questioning gaze on him, he spared a nod to me and Edward before answering Alice.

He pursed his lips momentarily, thinking about what side he wanted to take in this small pseudo-argument. Finally he said, in a voice that still had a twinge of a Southern twang, "No, ma'am."

I laughed to myself as Emmett let out a mock howl of outrage, crying something about men sticking together. Alice, her wicked grin even wider, curled her arms possessively around Jasper's legs before letting her fair cheek rest up against his calf.

There was a light weight on my shoulder and, after turning my head, I saw that Edward had placed his arm over it before pulling me close, settling me directly in his lap. Not quite mimicking the pose that Alice and Jasper shared, I let my head rest against his smooth chest. Edward blew on the top of my hair, letting out a small sigh of contentment as he covered me in his scent.

It was so nice, sitting like this with Edward, sharing the den in a companionable silence with the rest of his family. The large screen television in the far corner of the room was on and the low hum of the volume was comforting. I noticed that Emmett was the one in control of the remote and, remembering Alice's earlier comment to Edward, it made me smile.

In fact, it was almost hard to believe that this wasn't just any ordinary Saturday morning. Only that continued apprehensive feeling that wafted through the room reminded me that it wasn't ordinary. I wondered why Jasper wasn't using his gift—the ability to manipulate emotions which, in the case of helping everyone calm down, could come in handy—before figuring he had to have a reason.

Maybe I was just being too sensitive. After all, just because I was a little preoccupied with this visit, and Edward was upset by it, it didn't mean that the others were dwelling on it as obsessively. I think Emmett was even looking forward to it.

Slowly, as the other's got past our arrival, the room started filling up with small talk again. Esme and Carlisle resumed whatever conversation they'd been having while Alice continued to tease Emmett. Occasionally she would turn to Jasper for help or agreement but, for all intents and purposes, me and Edward were in our own little world for the time being.

I think he liked it that way. He was relaxed under the weight of my body and, with the tip of his pointer finger, he was tracing lazy circles on my upper arm. When he murmured my name, I could feel timbre of his voice as it built up in his chest.

I wasn't sure if he was just saying my name for no reason or if he actually was addressing me. Curious, I managed to turn my face up towards him without wiggling in my seat.

That familiar adored expression was on his face; the familiar butterflies began to flap as my heart raced. He was smiling again. "Are you comfortable?" he asked, keeping his voice low. "Or would you prefer to go and wait upstairs?"

_Wait_. I knew that was what we were doing, I knew we were waiting. Still, it gave me a little shiver to hear Edward say it like that. Waiting implied that something was going to happen eventually.

There was too many 'eventually's today.

I didn't know how to answer him. To be honest, if we had to wait, I though it would be easier if we were surrounded by his family. I knew too well how Edward could be when he felt threatened. This relaxed version wouldn't last for long and, besides, when Alice saw anything different, I wanted to be there when she saw it. I didn't think I could rely on Edward to see it himself and tell me all about.

Who knows what she might see. I hadn't forgotten how much he's already kept from me. I didn't want anymore secrets.

But, on the other hand, I didn't want him to think that I was against being in his room with him alone. _That_ was as far from the truth as you can get—I would do anything to be alone with him… just not when we were waiting for a new vampire to arrive in Forks.

"Anywhere is fine, Edward," I said at last, leaning my cheek against his chest, "as long as I'm with you."

I smiled to myself as I felt the soft kiss on top of my head. "We'll stay right where we are for now."

My heart swelled. I didn't have to tell him what I wanted. He already knew.


	12. Waiting

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

_--_

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Eleven  
WAITING

--

The afternoon passed by far quicker than I ever would have expected. As we kept on waiting, everyone talking but nobody talking about _who _we were waiting for, I'd thought that the hours would drag. Thank goodness they didn't. In fact, every time I glanced at the large clock next to the television, it seemed like another hour had passed. Only my restless position and whatever was on the television screen changed.

The Cullens, I guess, were used to sitting around and waiting. Unable to sleep, they had to while away the long hours of the night somehow. When all the humans around them slept soundly in their beds, content in the knowledge that monsters didn't exist, vampires—at least, the 'vegetarian' vampires I knew who chose to think of humans as something more than food—had to wait for another dawn. In my opinion, they probably spent half their existence just… _waiting._

The hours between learning of this visitor's intended arrival and when he would finally get to Forks would seem like nothing to an immortal. It _was _nothing, just a few seconds in their forever.

You would think that, as the only human among them, I would feel the passage of time the slowest. That's probably right, since I was the only one who seemed to feel it all. Wriggling anxiously in my seat and glancing obviously every few minutes at the clock, I knew I was acting like an impatient child.

Edward and his family, on the other hand, sat as still as statues, their demeanor calm. Every now and again the buzz of a private conversation or an invitation to a family chat would cut through the muted quiet of the den, but it wasn't an awkward silence at all.

After the first couple of hours even I forgot about the time passing us by. Of course, that was probably because Edward had, after covering his lap with an exceptionally soft afghan, carefully lifted me up by my upper arms and settled me so that I was leaning right into him. The afghan kept me from feeling any chill; his touch was gentle as he hummed under his breath, rocking me soothingly. His free hand sought mine out and held tight, as if he never wanted to let go.

It was easy to see that, surrounded by his family, Edward was calmer. The only times I felt him tense up underneath me at all was when Alice got that strange, dreamy gaze on her face. She was, in her special way, keeping watch as we waited. There must not have been any news, though, because, apart from murmuring to Jasper and occasionally teasing Emmett, Alice kept quiet.

Well, for the most part. It was kind of hard to keep Alice shut up for too long.

Carlisle and Esme kept us all company for the whole morning and most of the early afternoon. Edward's parents, whether on purpose or not, acted as companionable chaperones as we sat in the den—until one particular conversation turned to Forks High School and the students who went there. After a few minutes of listening to Alice ramble on about the hideous dress Lauren Mallory wore to prom last year, the two of them excused themselves, leaving us to our own devices.

From my place on Edward's lap, I saw Alice wink at me once—Emmett's laugh was unmistakable—before leaning back comfortably against Jasper's legs. I guess she'd been trying to give her parents a hint and it worked. Almost as soon as they had left I felt Edward nuzzle my neck, humming more to himself than to me.

Emmett, meanwhile, was in his glory. The recliner he was in looked sturdy enough but, as he lounged sideways, his grip on the remote control ironclad, I could hear tiny sounds of protest as it sagged under his weight. The intimidating, determined smile he had still lit up his handsome face as he, time to time, spoke out loud, evolving his ever changing plan on how he was going to defeat this newcomer. None of it sounded pretty or pleasant and I thanked my lucky stars that I was on _his_ side.

Sometime during the late afternoon, about three o'clock or so, Emmett's channel surfing led him to find some sort of sporting event on ESPN. On closer look I saw that it was another baseball game. Turning my head into Edward's chest, I stifled a small groan. After yesterday night I'd had enough of baseball.

Then again—just like it was more interesting watching the Cullens play vampire baseball—it was much more fascinating watching America's favorite pastime when Emmett Cullen was there to give a play-by-play. In between growling and laughing uproariously at whatever was going on onscreen, he was highly enjoying himself. Me, I didn't get it. It was _baseball_, for goodness sake!

"—c'mon, Ump, even someone with your eyesight should be able to see that wasn't too low or inside! I mean, where did you learn to make calls like that? _Umpiring for Dummies_—"

"—a check swing? You call that a check swing? He went all the way round and you know it—"

"—ooh… catch it… catch _it… _catch it catchit_catch_— yes!"

"—time for the seventh inning stretch. Oh yeah, that feels good!"

"_Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise…"_

Stomp. Stomp. Clap.

"…_playin' in the street, gonna be a big man someday…"_

Stomp. Stomp. Clap.

"Emmett, could please refrain from clapping and stomping along to Queen?"

"But it's 'We Will Rock You', Edward. You've got to keep the beat!"

"Keeping the beat is one thing, but you're making the entire foundation shake."

Edward, it seemed, couldn't understand Emmett's high spirits either.

Before Emmett could offer anything in return for Edward's observation—though, I did notice, he stopped his thunderous applause and the house _did _stop rattling a bit—Alice chose that moment to come out of another of her silent vision-searching reveries.

Holding two of her fingers against her temple as if she were in pain, Alice tilted her back and looked over at Emmett. "I wouldn't get all excited if I were you. Seattle loses, six to four."

It was interesting to see how her brother didn't even bother asking her how she knew. Still, he couldn't help but say, "You're sure? They're up now, four-two."

She nodded. "Top of the ninth, grand slam. Mariners lose."

There was a pause, followed by an exaggerated exhale. "Gee, thanks, Alice. I don't know what I did without you around to spoil the big games for me," he said, managing to mutter as loud as he could and still be muttering, as he sat back down in his seat. The squeaks from the chair were even more noticeable now.

Her face was paler than normal and the palm of her hand stayed pressed against her cheek, but Alice allowed her frown to transform into the smallest of impish smiles. "I missed you too, Em."

"Alice?"

Edward's voice was much softer than it had been; compared to Emmett's volume, it was nothing more than a whisper. If it wasn't for the fact that my side was still pressed close against his chest, I don't think I would have even heard him call his sister's name over the sound of the television.

As she turned her head slowly to look at him curiously, I could see that she was suddenly wary. Her smile was a memory. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

_Are you okay… _that what he _said_ but I was pretty sure that that wasn't what he _meant._ Or, at least, that he meant a little more with his question than he asked; a second part was hanging around the den, instead, unsaid but definitely present.

No surprise, Alice understood _exactly _what Edward meant. "It's still the same, Edward. I'm… I'm trying, but…" She shrugged. "His mind's made up so far. There's not much to see."

He waited a second, nodding to himself, before murmuring, "Tonight?"

"If not sooner."

His grip on my hand increased, the pressure becoming too much. I just managed to keep myself from crying out. He was more preoccupied than I'd thought; Edward never forgot how much stronger he was than me but… if he squeezed my hand any tighter, there was a good chance he was going to break it eventually.

The only thing that kept me from pointing out the tightness of his grip was how much he obviously needed to hold onto my hand. Just the feel of the warmth of my human skin against his cool touch seemed to calm him enough. He nodded again, solemnly this time. Alice returned in kind before lowering her head so much that her chin seemed to be setting against her chest.

Jasper, I saw, had leaned forward in his recliner, his pale hand resting lightly on her shoulder. Alice felt the weight of his touch and, lifting her head just enough that I could spy the look of love that flashed across her face, she placed the hand that had been against her cheek on top of his.

They looked as nice and cozy as I felt.

Except for the occasional 'boo' from Emmett and a hearty curse when a home run from one of the uniformed player's proved Alice's prediction true, quiet settled over the small den again. Comfortable once more, I watched her out of the corner of my eye. A sense of peace had washed over her but I could tell from the set of her shoulders and the tense way she sat that she was still watching for this… this what?

Newcomer?

Friend?

Threat…

… possibly.

I had a hunch that, despite Alice's assurances that nothing was changing, this new vampire was a lot more formidable of an opponent than any of them had thought previously. Something had changed—I just didn't know _what_.

I longed to break the silence and ask her myself, but I didn't. If they didn't want to talk about it, neither did I.

No matter how excitable Emmett was, even he couldn't lift this dour mood; I couldn't help but wonder why Jasper was letting us stew in this anxiety. When the ballgame ended and nobody seemed interested in how far he was planning on kicking this guy, Emmett made a great production of yawning before announcing he was going to check on Rosalie.

He didn't seem bothered at all by the increasingly long wait and, in any other circumstance, I would've found his act that he was tired funny. Vampires couldn't sleep and I don't think I'd ever even heard one of them yawn before. Then again, he was going off in search of his wife. Even if he _could_ sleep, that would probably be the last thing on his mind. After all, Emmett—not to mention his libido—was eternally twenty.

But the fact of the matter was that these _were_ the circumstances. Unsure and, as a result, feeling more and more anxious as every minute passed, I found myself scrutinizing Alice's every move almost as much as Edward and Jasper were doing. When she clamped her eyes shut tight and let out a small hissing sound about an hour later, there was no missing it.

Edward sat straight up, moving so quickly that I almost fell out of his lap. He still held my hand in his hand I think it was that more than anything that kept me in place.

"Alice, what was that?" His voice was suddenly much closer to demanding than desperate. My breath caught in my throat. What _now_?

"I don't know. It was just a… a flash, I guess. He was thinking about turning east but in the end he didn't."

My stomach was the next to go; it tied in knots and I had to work to stifle a groan. I'd figured that Edward was sharing her visions all along and it made me nervous that she'd just seen something that rattled both of them. Alice had kept her eyes closed and, behind the increasing pressure of Edward's grasp, I could see the tensed and stretched tendons of his forearm beneath his alabaster skin.

Just what did they see?

On a whim, I turned to glance at Jasper. Of us remaining four, me and him were the only two left in the dark. He had to be used to this, but that didn't mean it bothered him any less than me. What was he thinking?

He looked contemplative, his dark gold eyes shadowed as he gazed down on Alice. I don't think he noticed me watching him; his attention seemed solely on his wife. She was staring at the carpet, refusing to acknowledge Edward's intense glare.

Edward was just about growling in frustration. He was staring at Alice too, and he barely noticed me looking at Jasper. It was almost as if I was forgotten for a moment. "Why would he go east? I thought he was coming here." He inhaled before exhaling right after. "Was there anything else?"

Just when I thought I was invisible, I felt Edward's hold around my stomach tighten. His grip on my hand became almost unbearable. I had to bite my tongue this time to keep from crying out.

Alice, being Alice, somehow noticed the state my poor hand was in. Without even looking up or acknowledging Edward's question—most likely because she didn't have all the answers he expected her to have—she said, "Watch out for Bella's hand, Edward. If you squeeze it any harder it's going to pop off her wrist like a daisy."

He hissed under his breath. I don't know if the sound meant he was mad at himself or at Alice because, without a word to me, I felt him loosen his hold on my hand before gently caressing it with the tips of his cool fingers. I tried to use body language to let him know that I was okay. The last thing I needed him to do was start second guessing the idea of him staying with me.

He didn't seem to pull away from me, so that was a good sign. But he did say, "Really, Alice. I thought you were helping me—us. What are you doing?"

Positioned the way I was, I could still see Jasper and Alice. I'd been expecting her to have a retort ready for her brother. I nearly jumped in place when I saw that Jasper had lifted his head up so that he was glaring right at Edward.

Before his eyes had been shadowed, cautious and careful; now, though, they were bright—almost as if there was fire blazing in their golden depths. I suddenly remembered again that Jasper was the most dangerous of the Cullens. Only the fact that his eyes were gold instead of red kept me from hiding behind Edward.

"Edward," he said, his voice quiet yet firm, his temper—for the moment, at least—under complete control, "I'd appreciate it if you stopped treating Alice as your own personal fortune teller. This visit affects us all as much as you and she's doing the best she can. But she's not a gypsy, and she's not a magic eight ball. Please remember that."

I've never heard Jasper speak like that before (or, really, that _much _before), especially to a member of his own family, and it kind of freaked me out. I'd always thought of Edward's blond brother as the strong, silent type, keeping to himself; in other words, Alice's complete opposite and perfect match. It was scary to see him turn on Edward like that.

But no one seemed alarmed by his sudden—if totally justified—shift in mood. If I was being honest, Edward's growing concern was a little hard to swallow. If it was causing me to squirm, I could only imagine how the other Cullens felt in response to his state. It was almost as if his nerves were catching.

I think he finally realized how antsy he'd been acting when his brother snapped at him. Glancing at him, I saw his eyes seemed to widen as if he'd just been struck by an epiphany. Then he blinked and lowered his head.

"Of course, Jasper. And you're right. Alice, I'm sorry."

"Don't mention it."

Jasper didn't say another word then but his hand remained protectively on Alice's shoulder.

I immediately felt myself calm down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper glance at me before finding some blank spot off in space to stare at. Feeling sheepish, I realized that the sudden sense of fear I felt had been noticeable to him. In response to it he had finally used his gift of manipulating emotions to help me relax. I was suddenly very grateful to him—not only did the anxiety I'd battled all day disappear but, finally, Edward seemed at ease.

Although Edward's sigh and resumed gentle rubbing of my side might have been more because Jasper has scolded him to harassing Alice…

My mind currently empty of any worries, I thought about that; about the small exchange that had just taken place between Jasper and Edward. Because she was so tiny, I've always thought of Alice as being fragile. I knew that, as a vampire, she was more dangerous than most creatures but, when you saw her ballerina-like body, her small hands and her wide eyes, you couldn't help but feel protective over her.

No doubt, as her mate, Jasper felt that urge even more than I did.

When you could live forever, and you found someone you wanted to be your mate—someone you wanted to spend the rest of eternity with—the feelings had to be something more than just love; it was utter devotion. And, with such intense desire, there came other magnified emotions. Irrational jealousy could be one, and, as I knew all too well, so could the overwhelming urge to defend and protect.

There was one thing I was positive about as I saw Jasper sit tensed on the edge of his seat: Edward's reactions when it came to me weren't all that unique. They were just a lot stronger because of my tendency to… well, be a danger magnet.

For Jasper, that desire to stand up for and defend Alice was evident and obvious. It made sense, too. And it also explained why Emmett usually kept his teasing of me—when Edward was around, of course—to a minimum.

And where was Emmett anyway?

I don't know what happened next. One minute I was thinking about the everlasting devotion between vampires, the next I was wondering where Emmett had gone off to. It had been some time since he left and a part of me hoped, if he returned to the den, that he did it alone. I didn't feel up to facing Rosalie, especially after everything she must have overheard Edward say when we first arrived.

I must have remembered Emmett's play yawning when he left because, all of a sudden, _I _was yawning. A wave of tiredness washed over me and, if it hadn't been a struggle to keep my eyes from closing, I might have had my suspicions. I _never _fall asleep this fast.

I tried to hide my yawn from Edward but I didn't do a good enough job. Maybe he thought it was funny that, in the middle of one of the strangest days we've shared in awhile, I was falling asleep because I heard him chuckle. It sounded a bit strained but, no doubt about it, he was laughing as he asked, "Tired, Bella?"

"Not really," I lied before yawning again. He laughed again.

I could have killed him—well, if it were possible—for what he did then. Slowly so that I almost didn't catch on to what he was doing, he started to rock himself back and forth. Which meant, since I was still sitting on his lap, that I was rocking back and forth. Humming my lullaby under his breath, calmly patting my tender hand, he was trying his best to lull me asleep.

--

It worked.

I don't know how long I slept for or what sort of dreams I had if any—though I was pretty sure that vampires were involved somewhere since I vaguely remembered flat red eyes staring at me—but the next thing I knew was the cool touch of someone's hand on my face. Slapping me lightly, Alice was trying her best to wake me up from the deepest sleep I'd had in awhile. "Come on, Bella. It's time to get up, okay?"

I hadn't really known I was asleep until I slowly opened my eyes and saw her standing over me. Being sleepy made me a little stupid sometimes and I frowned. "Alice? Where's Edward?" I was stretched out on the couch alone, the afghan covering my legs. He must've let me sleep for quite some time if he thought he should get up to let me rest comfortably on the sofa.

Before I had the chance to get properly worked up that he'd left me alone, I heard his voice come from behind me. "I'm right here."

He was standing behind the couch, pacing the den. His hands were balled into tight fists at his side. Even scowling, he was beautiful, but I had to wonder what put him in such a mood. I really hoped I wasn't talking in my sleep again. It would be awful if I, after all the times I confronted the memories today, said James's name out loud while I was dreaming.

Piercing red-black eyes—hungry eyes—flashed before my mind and I hoped they were the lingering effects of a dream I didn't remember. In an attempt to banish them, I rubbed my eyes once before pulling myself into a sitting position. As I pushed the afghan to the side, I quickly scanned the room around me. With a start, I noticed that our numbers had dwindled from four to three. Jasper was gone. Allowing Alice to help me to my feet, I asked where he was.

Her answering smile was brief and, perhaps, ironic. "He's out front, greeting our guest."

Guest? What guest—

—oh, yeah… that's right. The new vampire that I'd spent the whole day with the Cullens expecting. Well, that explained why Edward looked like he was getting ready to pounce. I shook my head—I needed to get rid of that stupid, sluggish feeling. I can't believe I _forgot_ that they—we—were expecting someone.

As soon as he saw I was standing, he was suddenly at my side. He wrapped his arm around my waist, automatically supporting me so that I didn't trip over my own two feet and fall flat on my face. Once he was satisfied that I was steady, he asked, "Do you want to go upstairs now?"

I really hoped he didn't expect me to spend the whole day waiting for this guy only to hide away now that he was here. I shook my head defiantly, finally losing that woozy, drowsy feeling. "Where is he?"

"In the entryway with Carlisle, Esme and Jasper," Alice said. "Emmett's getting Rose and I'm sticking with you and Edward."

Oh, lovely. I knew what that meant, all right. She was my guard. There was no use arguing over that, though; a simple peek at the razor edge of Edward's set jaw line told me that much.

"Okay, then. Let's go," I said, trying to sound confident. It wasn't that difficult; it was a bit ridiculous that Alice was protecting me, too, now. Besides, even if this vampire got really thirsty all of a sudden, I doubted he'd try anything with the Cullens there. It would be suicide.

Through his nervousness, I could tell Edward was torn between being amused and exasperated at my insistence that we go greet his family's 'guest'. Indecision won out in the end; he didn't seem happy about leaving the den with me in tow but he didn't try to convince me to hide, either.

We walked out of the room like a procession through a jail hall, Alice in front of me and Edward behind. I felt like a prisoner stuck between the two of them, but I didn't complain. They were doing this because they cared about me. Even if I felt exasperated by their concern, it was touching.

I have to say, I always seemed to manage to underestimate the vampires' abilities. They must have heard us approaching because, when we entered the front room, they were all waiting expectantly, watching the hallway.

Carlisle was the first to speak. "Luca," he said warmly, obviously addressing the only stranger in the room, "I'd like you to meet some more of my family. There's Alice in front and Bella behind her. And, lastly, Edward, my son."

I listened mutely as Carlisle made introductions. It warmed me to hear him refer to me as family and I was pretty impressed how he didn't explain how me and Alice were part of the family. Rather, he referred to Edward as his son which, by default, marked us as his daughters. Whether I was human or not, I was under his protection.

Alice and Edward made their polite responses but, as soon as I daringly lifted my focus up off of the carpet and made eye contact with this strange vampire, I found I could no longer speak. I was, as embarrassing as it was, far too busy gawking.

Edward's supernatural beauty always caught my by surprise and, while this Luca definitely wasn't as beautiful as my Edward, I knew I'd always stare in amazement any time I saw him.

Like Jasper, Luca was tall and thin but you would never use the word lanky to describe him. He was too graceful to be called lanky. His skin was as pale and ethereal as the other Cullens but his had a hint of a darker skin tone at one point, almost like a fading suntan. He had thick, longish hair that curled into tiny tendrils at the end; it was of a blond color so fair that it was closer to white than yellow.

But his face… the sharp lines but soft features were absolutely stunning. He was smiling enchantingly and, since he was wearing a loosely fit white shirt and faded tan pants, it was almost as if an angel had walked into the room.

An angel with wide, staring _red_ eyes.

The aura of innocence was lost as soon as I saw the sickening crimson staining his eyes. Still, I couldn't take my eyes off of him but that was okay—he'd been watching me intently ever since we walked into the room.

His blood red eyes shimmered ominously as he focused only on me. "My, my," he purred, obviously in unexpected enjoyment, "what sadists I've found. A human in their midst, fresh blood pumping in her veins and not one bite marring her creamy flesh."

And then, contrary to anything I ever would have expected him to do, he started to clap.

* * *

Author's Note: _Ah, so we finally get to the good stuff. Unfortunately -- or, depending on how you look at it, fortunately -- the introduction of Luca is only just the beginning. I hope some of you are still coming along for the ride... it's slow and steady but, eventually, the pay off should be pretty sweet ;) _


	13. Luca

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

--

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Twelve  
LUCA

--

I may not have anticipated Luca's actions but Edward's response was undeniably familiar. As his arm shot out, quickly rearranging himself so that he stood between me and Luca, he lunged forward into a terrifying crouch. Snarling lips curled back over bared teeth, he hissed warningly at the other vampire.

His reaction was immediate and extremely obvious. Acting as the most territorial of creatures, he sent his purported opponent the simplest message possible: _Mine_.

For just a moment, my memories reared their ugly head again. I wasn't inside the Cullen home anymore; I was back in the woods, the Cullens' baseball game suddenly interrupted, terrified that this new threat—this tracker—was after my blood. It wasn't Luca, with his aura of faux innocence standing before me but James, his nostrils flaring and his eagerness for the hunt already so evident.

One sniff of my scent, courtesy of the careless wind, and the tracker had marked me as human then. This close in proximity, there was no denying what I was now. I was grateful for Luca's red eyes, grateful that they weren't black. At the very least, it was a good thing to see that he was fed. I just hope he didn't think of me when he got thirsty.

And this time, just like last time, it all happened so quickly. I was frozen in place, watching everything as if I was a spectator, rather than being part of the scene. I should've felt fear but there wasn't even enough time for that. My breath hitched, my eyes opened wide as they darted from Edward to Luca and back, and I thought: _Not again._

Three things happened then. Edward's hand, the one that he threw out to separate me from Luca, gestured off to the side. It was a simple flick of his wrist and, before I knew it, Alice was next to me. She hugged me to her petite chest, squeezing me gently as she hurried me away to the far end of the room. We'd moved so quickly that the distance seemed to appear in the blink of my eye. And Luca… he just kept on smiling. As if he found Edward's intensity amusing instead of alarming, he took one short step back as he grinned knowingly down at him.

He'd stopped clapping.

Edward didn't break his pose, and he didn't move. With the exception of Alice, when she whisked me away, none of the Cullens had moved from their place either—well, not _really_. Jasper's stance had shifted slightly, leaning his body in more so that he was in the way of the path that led straight from Luca to me and Alice. Carlisle's hands were in front of him, silently demanding calmness; Esme's hands were clasped together as she stood tall next to her husband.

They were all waiting to see what Luca would do next.

I was, too.

My heart was beating frantically, the echo of his applause still ringing in my ears. Déjà vu, that strange feeling that I've been through all this before, was overwhelming. In an attempt to downplay the fact that I was a human I found that I'd almost stopped breathing. Just before I passed out, though, I remembered that breathing really was essential. One or two shallow breaths and I felt a bit calmer myself—and a lot less lightheaded.

Edward's head cocked to the side when he heard my breathing. His sensitive hearing caught the sound and I wondered if he could hear the panic and the adrenaline hidden behind the noise. But he didn't turn to look at me; his attention was only on Luca.

When it became obvious that his words had put five other vampires on guard—and that, if provoked any further, there was a good chance that Edward would go right from his crouch into a pounce—Luca lost his smile. His eerie eyes went from each and every one of the Cullens to the next, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He looked at me last. His searching gaze gave me the chills and I suddenly wished that Alice was a lot taller than she was—or, at least, taller than me. I would've gladly, if I could, ducked behind her to hide.

His eyes lingered on me, his eyebrows raised.

I gulped.

And Edward growled.

I had a funny feeling that, maybe for a few seconds, he'd forgotten that there was anyone else in the room. Edward's low, guttural warning caught his attention at once and, to my relief, Luca turned his head to meet Edward's daring stare. He grinned again, laughing under his breath in a hearty, entertained manner.

"I think I better explain myself since you've clearly misunderstood. I mean no harm to your young…" Again his eyes were back on me. He bowed his head in my direction before, "… friend here. In fact, I feel like I ought to commend you on your self control. It seems like Emmett truly wasn't boasting of this coven's capabilities." He lifted his head up then, his deep red eyes flashing under the fluorescent lights in the foyer. "My apologies, miss. It was never my intent to frighten you."

His eyes had flashed but I could've sworn that there was something else there. Frustration, maybe? For some reason, I was vaguely reminded of the expression Edward usually wore whenever he was attempting to read my mind. Yes, there was definitely some frustration there.

Aware that I was staring again, I quickly dropped my gaze to the floor. His newfound eagerness—not to mention his sudden switching on of his charm—made me extremely wary, but I didn't want to be rude. He was waiting for me to say something and, after an awkward pause that everyone felt, I managed to get out a quick, "Umm… sure. Okay." I sounded flustered and I could just feel the heat of a fresh blush rushing to my cheeks. I attempted a tiny smile in return but, to be on the safe side, I stayed right beside Alice.

Alice, I saw, was peering intently at Edward—actually, _all_ of the Cullens were watching him now. I had no doubts why. With his special gift it was very easy for him to tell if this was all an act on Luca's part, or if he really meant what he said.

Still crouched down in an aggressive position, Edward was staring intently up at the other vampire. A confused expression spasmed across his face but he immediately shook it off. He was undoubtedly concentrating on something. Finally, with a tiny nod of his head, he slowly returned to a standing position. He didn't say anything but purposely walked over to where I was standing with Alice. Carefully, meaningfully, he took my hand in his. I suddenly felt a hundred times better.

I don't know why I was so nervous in the first place. As long as Edward was there with me I would always be safe. My meeting with James in Phoenix only ended the way it did because I was foolish enough to fall for the tracker's mind games and dumb enough to think that I could go out and meet him on my own. I'd never make _that _mistake again; I didn't intend to go anywhere else without Edward.

Jasper straightened up then and it was easy to feel his significant powers at work. The level of tranquility that Carlisle had silently asked for earlier arrived, and I almost had to laugh over how ridiculous my worries all seemed now. Honestly, what did I have to be afraid of? Luca's strange way of wording things? I was being silly.

Carlisle seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me. He lowered his hands to his side before walking forward, approaching Luca. As if trying to put the defensive mood behind us all, he smiled warmly at the newcomer. Still, his voice was friendly yet firm as he said, "Bella is part of my family, Luca. There is never a question of control where she—or any human, for that matter—is involved."

"She is your guest, as am I. You have nothing to fear from me," Luca answered smoothly. Too smoothly, if you ask me, but it _was _nice to hear him say that. It only took me a little effort to pretend that his words weren't almost the same exact ones that Laurent, a former member of James' small coven, had used.

"Then we understand each other?"

"On the matter of this human girl, Carlisle, we do. But I cannot say that I understand your family's decision to swear off all human blood. In favor of animals, is it?"

Carlisle nodded before explaining, "It's a difficult choice but one that my family and I feel works well with us."

"Yes," agreed Esme, pausing only long enough to shoot an affectionate gaze towards her husband, "and I see that Emmett must have told you all about us and our way of life. Not many others are as interested in our lifestyle."

I always thought that Esme was very perceptive. Now that I didn't have to worry about Luca trying to drink my blood or Edward attacking his family's guest, it was easy to see that Edward's parents were just as concerned as to the real reason behind Luca's visit. After all, there had been a lot of talk about Emmett's bragging over in Africa. Silently I agreed with Esme's observation—it was very possible that Emmet, in his goofy, light-hearted way, might not have realized just how much he was telling this stranger at the time.

It could be very bad if Luca knew more about his hosts than the Cullens knew about their unexpected guest. But, if Luca knew what sweet, innocent Esme was implying with her simply statement, he didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he laughed lightly. "If only, dear Esme. With the exception of your names and the type of food you prefer, I feel I don't know you at all. However, I do hope that that will change."

I felt the pressure on my hand increase and I realized that Edward was squeezing it again. Thinking he was trying to get my attention, I glanced up at him. He wasn't looking at me, though. He was watching the exchange between Luca and his parents very closely.

Carlisle continued to smile invitingly at Luca. He nodded a couple of times before he and Esme each went to a side of their guest. "Come, Luca. Why don't you join us in the dining room? There are seats for all of us in there and perhaps I can explain a little more about the way we Cullens do things."

I might've imagined it but I was pretty sure I saw Luca's smile dim as he peeked sideways, glimpsing the sweeping staircase off to his left. He composed himself so quickly that it was difficult to even be certain that his friendly façade had slipped at all. I was beginning to think I was reading way too much into his actions. Huh. Maybe I was more uneasy about him being there than I thought.

"I'd love to, Carlisle," he said as Esme and Carlisle led him away, "and maybe by then I'll be reacquainted with your Rosalie and Emmett…" His voice—at least to my human ears—faded away as the three of them left the dining room.

Since none of the others made to follow them out of the front room, I stayed put. Not that I really had a choice or anything. Edward's ironclad grip on my hand was a pretty good indicator that I wasn't supposed to leave the front room just yet.

He looked strange, almost confused, as he waited for their backs to disappear through the open doorway. As soon as they were gone, he mumbled something under his breath. I don't think I was meant to hear it.

Jasper crossed the room too, stopping when he was standing right next to Alice. She barely acknowledged his presence at her side, though. Her curious eyes were on Edward. "What's wrong?" she demanded.

He frowned. "I don't understand."

"Understand what?" I asked, also very curious. There was something strange about this whole situation, I was sure of it. I wondered if he had that feeling too.

He shook his head slowly and the crazy urge to ruffle his bronze-colored hair lovingly came over me all of a sudden. He looked so forlorn, so concerned, that I wanted to let him know that he didn't have to get all worked up over whatever it was that was bothering him. I didn't give in to that urge, no matter how much I wanted to, but I think he could tell just how I felt from my expression. Like my mother always said, I was just like an open book. And he was an expert reader of the Book of (Isa)Bella Swan.

Edward spared me one of his indulgent uneven smiles before trying to explain what was going through his mind. "It's this… this Luca. I can't really get a read for his voice." With his free hand he used one of his long, pale fingers to rub his temple. "It's like a radio that lost its signal. I get bits and pieces, snippets here and there, but then nothing."

"What about what you did hear?" asked Alice quietly. I didn't understand why she was basically murmuring until I remembered that Luca _was _a vampire. If he was the eavesdropping type, and I thought he might be, there was a very good chance that he was listening to our conversation. "Do you think we can trust him?"

I knew what she was thinking about. She didn't look my way—Alice was too thoughtful to make it obvious that she was worried about my presence in the house just then—but it was easy to imagine what was running through all of their heads at that moment. It was going to take awhile before I forgot how intimidating Luca looked as he stood there, clapping for no good reason—or how much his actions reminded me of that climactic meeting of the nomadic vampires in the clearing last spring.

When Edward nodded, it was almost as if he did so begrudgingly. "He seemed sincere enough, and nothing I did hear contradicted his story that he came to Forks just to meet Rosalie's coven. It is possible, if Emmett told him all about us, that he's trying to keep me out but—" He shook his head, more vehemently this time, as he huffed in visible frustration. "I just think it would be too hard for him to get away with that without me catching on first."

"I know what you mean, Edward, but…" Unable to say what she was feeling, Alice left it there.

The mood was getting a little too serious for me. I decided I would try to break it up some. "Sheesh, you Cullens," I said, grinning, shaking my head semi-mockingly, "it's always 'but' with you, huh?"

Strangely enough, it was Jasper—nice and serious_ Jasper_—who responded to my teasing. "But," he said, his lips twitching upwards a bit as Alice simply rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't be so concerned. You saw his eyes—he's fed. There's one of him, seven of us and he doesn't seem particularly strong. Plus, Edward, the only aggression I could sense in the room was coming off of you. There was no malice coming from him, only interest. Excitement, even."

He shrugged, and I was so grateful that he was acting as the voice of reason that I barely noticed the length of his comment; for Jasper, it almost seemed like a speech. Edward was very hard-headed when he entered his overprotective mode. It was always a good thing to cut him off before he got himself too worked up. As it was, he'd been acting strange ever since he met me in Newton's yesterday. He needed to calm down before his head exploded or something.

Not surprisingly, I found myself agreeing with Jasper and his commonsensical observations. "I think he's right, Edward, and you did tell me that it's easier to hear a voice you're familiar with. Maybe you're so in tune with your family that his thoughts were just getting lost in the shuffle."

Okay, even I thought that suggestion was a little lame. But if it meant that he might be able to relax a little, then it was worth it. Besides, he already thought I was a little touched in the head since I actually _wanted_ to spend my time around a tempted vampire. Throwing out a too-simple solution to a problem he thought complex was probably what he was expecting me to do, anyway.

"It _is _possible," he said slowly, repeating himself.

Possible, but not likely, I interpreted.

Glancing at both Alice and Edward, witnessing the quick look the two of them shared, it was easy to see that neither of them was satisfied.

At least I had Jasper on my side. Before either of them had a chance to say anything else, he gestured towards the doorway that led right through to the dining room. "Why don't we go join them in there? Edward, it'll give you the opportunity to get another listen."

"And it'll give me another chance to figure out what it is about this guy that makes my hair stand on end," added Alice thoughtfully. Repaying her thoughtfulness—though I did owe her for making fun of my windblown hair earlier—I decided not to point out the fact that Alice's pixie-cut black hair stuck out like that already.

Her face brightened then, despite her obvious agitation. "And you know what, Edward? It'll be fun. We can pretend we're Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple." There was no denying the mischief that was suddenly at home on her deceptively innocent face. "_Je sais déjà le français_," she said, her French accent flawless, "so I'll pretend to be the Belgian. You can be the little old lady." She gave a little snort, punctuated by one of her giggles. "Goodness knows you could act the part enough."

I actually had to bite my tongue again to keep from laughing out loud; this time, I was even able to swallow back the tiny cry of pain. I needed to be more careful, though. By the time I went back to work on Tuesday, I wouldn't be able to help a single customer. My poor tongue will be too swollen to let me talk!

It was Edward's turn to roll his eyes. Purposely ignoring what his sister had to say, he nodded over at Jasper. "All right, fine. But Bella has to sit as far away from him as possible."

"You'll have a hard time separating me from you," I promised.

"Good."

There was such finality in that one word. This little meeting was over.

Edward stood quiet for a moment before heading through the open doorway, pulling me gently in tow. Muttering something about how someone so tiny could be so annoying, we went down the hallway, towards the door that Carlisle had considerately closed behind them when they left for the dining room.

Trying my best not to make eye contact with Alice, I followed him through another doorway, one that led straight to the other side of the house. I just hoped Carlisle's foresight, and his decision to put some distance between Luca and the front room, meant that our conversation had _not _been overheard; I really didn't want anyone to have to explain to Luca why his arrival was kind of unwelcome.

In fact, I had to keep my eyes on the floor as we headed off towards the dining room ourselves. Every time I got a peek of Edward I couldn't help but imagine him in a shawl and a Victorian-style dress, a bag of knitting hanging off of his arm. And Alice—she would look ridiculous with a large, fluffy mustache taking over her tiny face!

Oh, yes. I could already feel my tongue swelling. At this rate I'd be better off letting him hear my laugh already. Who knows? Maybe when he had to worry about why I was laughing out loud at random intervals, he wouldn't obsess over Luca's arrival as much…

--

For reasons I've never fully understood, there was an actual dinner table standing in the center of the Cullens lavishly decorated dining room. I suppose it was just another prop, another piece of scenery that helped them in their masquerade as a normal human family, but I wasn't quite sure that I bought that reason. I mean, a toilet was easily explained, as well as the kitchen—try finding a house without them!—but a dining room table? I didn't get it.

However, this was neither the time nor the place for me to start questioning Edward about his family's belongings. It was a really nice table, with more than enough seats for everyone present. Luca, whether he had taken that seat purposely or not, was sitting at the head of the table. Esme and Carlisle were placed at either side of their guest, sitting opposite of one another.

Emmett and Rosalie, I noticed, were not at the table yet.

Hmm. I wonder if their absence was intentional. After all, I hadn't even seen Rosalie since her return back to Forks last night. If she hadn't left her room all morning, it wouldn't surprise me to know that she didn't plan on coming down at all. And Emmett… well, even less surprisingly, he always did exactly what his wife told him to do.

I followed Edward into the room and watched as he pointedly marked the seat opposite of Luca's as his own by letting his left hand fall possessively on the seat rest. Before he sat down he automatically pulled the seat to his right out for me. He finally let go of my hand as I sat down in my proffered seat. I kept my eyes focused on the intricate design of the tabletop, waiting for him to push me in. He did and then took his seat beside me.

Alice flitted in the room behind us, all smiles and happiness. I was pretty sure it was all a front, a way for her to observe this new vampire without him knowing that she was inexplicably suspicious of him. Then again, this was Alice so I can't say I know what her motive really was. For all I knew, she could be smiling because she was picturing Edward as an old spinster lady, too.

Luckily for me—if not for my poor tongue and my tendency to find Alice funny at the most inopportune of times—she took the seat opposite of me. Jasper, entering silently behind Alice's exuberance, sat down next to her without a sound.

I don't know what exactly the topic of conversation had been before we joined them, but it had trailed to an amicable close when we entered the room. Carlisle and Esme both appeared to be at ease, murmuring to each other and smiling, obviously delighted that their children had been polite enough to sit down with their guest.

Luca, on the other hand, watched us take our seats with unparalleled interest. I could see him, out of the corner of my eye, as he took notice of the two chairs next to Esme and Carlisle that were still empty.

Then, in a tone that was so off-handed that its utter indifference caught my attention and me look down the table at him inquisitively, he said, "I wonder where Rosalie is?" There was a small pause, barely recognizable, before, "And Emmett?"

It was like something out of a movie. As soon as Luca asked about them, there they were, appearing in the open doorway as if on cue.

There was Rosalie, a sneer of disgust twisting her perfect face; not even that expression was enough to mask her radiance and her beauty. With her hands on her hips and her golden eyes narrowed defensively at the head of the table—and the vampire that sat there—she looked as much an angel as I'd thought Luca to be. Only, where Luca seemed too innocent to be true, she was an avenging angel. I was relieved that, for once, it wasn't me who was on the receiving end of one of her dark and moody glares.

Emmett stood just behind her, his spade of a hand resting lightly on her slim waist. Acting like some sort of protector, appearing more like a great, big bear than a man, it occurred to me what Jasper had meant when he said that the only aggression he had felt in the _room _was coming from Edward. I didn't need his particular gift to recognize that Emmett's plans to take on Luca this morning were not simply idle threats.

And, though I'd spent most of the day with him, it struck me again, as I saw him looming in the doorway, just incredibly massive Emmett Cullen really was. That, and just how scary he could be when he smiled like that.

* * *

Author's Note: _Well, that was not a fun batch of writer's block, let me tell you. I must have editted and redone this chapter a half-dozen times already and I'm finally happy with it. I hope you guys liked it and I wonder if you're picking up on all the lovely little clues I'm leaving for ya ;) Anywho, have a very happy Halloween! And wish me luck with NaNo :)_


	14. Intentions

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

--

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Thirteen  
INTENTIONS

--

Rosalie and Emmett made their entrance, pausing for only a second to linger in the doorway. All seven pairs of eyes had turned their way but, after their arrival had been acknowledged, only two of us continued to watch them: me and Luca. Luca, I guess, because he was interested in seeing the two of them in their proper surroundings; me because… well, I wasn't really sure.

It was kind of strange, almost as if I wasn't able to look away from them. And it wasn't because of their appearance, either—as beautiful as Rosalie was, I'd gotten used to her already. Her beauty wasn't so blindingly dazzling anymore. Besides, I didn't have a death wish; just because her glare was currently trained on Luca, it didn't mean she wouldn't eventually remember herself and turn on me next.

No—it was something else. Something different… something to do with Emmett.

Maybe I was making his earlier attitude out to be something that it wasn't, or maybe I'd taken too long to blink or something because, while Rosalie's expression remained defensive and annoyed, Emmett's entire demeanor had changed in the few seconds when I'd stopped to wonder why I was still staring.

His smile seemed softer, not so threatening, and his golden eyes held a warmth that I often associated with Emmett—but I was prepared to swear that they didn't look like that a few seconds ago. I was pretty sure about that. Even now, as I couldn't find it in me to look away, I saw his right eye give a small twitch and his big grin flicker before it widened even more. He looked just as happy as I'd ever seen him.

He had changed the way he was standing, too. Emmett was hugely built and very strong. Add his size to his outgoing personality and it was very difficult for him not to fill up an entire room, let alone just a doorway. But not now. It was like he had shrunk somehow and was hiding just behind his much smaller wife. Instead of leaning forward he was slouching, his weight shifted back. He'd let go of Rosalie's waist, grasping her hand in his oversized one.

"Come, Rose," he said, his smile growing until the sharp edges of his gleaming white teeth were visible. Visible and vaguely threatening. Maybe I was wrong about being wrong. "Let's go say hello to our old friend."

Then again, maybe not. Who knows? Friend? I wasn't sure if it was because of what he said or how he said it, but he didn't sound remotely threatening to me now. And this was Emmett Cullen I was thinking about. If he wanted to, he could turn 'good afternoon' into a challenge and 'hello' into a dare.

Rosalie didn't say anything in response to him but she didn't have to. The disgusted sneer she wore as she allowed Emmett to pull her over to the seat beside Esme told everyone at the dinner table that she would rather give me a hug and call me 'sister' than have anything more to do with Luca. Greeting him, specifically, wasn't anywhere near the top of her to-do list.

Not that you could tell from Luca's expression. I turned my head slightly to my right as the two of them passed, glancing at the new vampire as Emmett pushed Rosalie's seat in and she gave an undignified snort. What I saw surprised me entirely—I was lucky I didn't actually gasp out loud. His attention absolutely riveted on Rosalie's gorgeous profile, Luca's eerie red eyes were suddenly bright and alive. In response to her glare and obvious dislike, he was positively glowing. And, even more than before, he looked the part of an angel.

One perfectly arched eyebrow rose in amusement as Luca drummed the tips of his fingers carefully against the tabletop. He had to be doing it carefully—there was no mark or indentation left when he lifted them back up. He never took his eyes off of her.

"That's an interesting dress you have on tonight, Rosalie," he remarked, his clear voice sending chills down my spine though he wasn't talking to me. "So very different from what you wore in the heat of Africa." He paused there and, despite being surrounded by her entire family—including her super strong husband—he licked his lips in the most suggestive of manners. It was creepy beyond words. "You must have quite the… collection."

My first instinct was to either look at Emmett and see what he thought of Luca's blatant flirting or get a peek at Rosalie's reaction. But I didn't. Not right away. The tension I'd suspected didn't appear—not from them, at least. The one who had the most obvious response was sitting to my left; so obvious that I was able to pick up on it without him having to say a word.

Edward's hands had been settled casually on the arms of his dinner chair but now he was gripping them so tightly that his tendons were stretched and I was pretty sure that there would be fingerprint-sized grooves along the armrest when he got back up. He hadn't opened his mouth—just the opposite, actually, as his mouth was drawn in a thin line—but his nostrils had flared and his eyes, hard and flat as they were all of a sudden, were narrowed and focused across the length of the table.

There was no missing who he was staring at.

It was happening again too, that something strange I was having trouble placing my finger on. And this time it was happening to him.

It had to have been because of something that only he had heard because Edward was the only one who even reacted at all. Every part of him exuded danger, sending us all a silent warning though he hadn't even moved yet. He was suddenly furious and, if Edward had lost any of his control—any control at all—even for a moment, I had no doubt that he felt himself warranted.

Then again, he had to have overreacted because, like Emmett, he was suddenly calm. He blinked and, with me watching him intently, he gave his head a small shake as if he was trying to clear it. The death grip he had on the chair lessened, leaving perfect imprints of small, round fingertips on the topside where he'd held it. And that wasn't the only thing that was… odd.

I had looked at, stared at and gazed into Edward's eyes so many times since we met that I knew every detail. But, when I looked at him just then, his eyes were glassy—but only until he blinked again, finally turning away from Luca. And then he was normal, calmer and more relaxed than he'd been in days, since my latest shift at Newton's Outfitters and his last hunting trip. When he saw me watching him in open confusion he tilted his head slightly and looked back like I was the one who was acting so very strange.

Lifting his eyebrow, he silently asked me what was wrong. I just shook my head. If I couldn't even explain to myself how weird everyone seemed to be acting, I knew I would worry him if I tried to tell him. I just had to grit my teeth, pretend that I wasn't the obvious human in the room of vampires and ride it out until Luca had left.

I couldn't wait until things got back to normal. I was even beginning to look forward to seeing Mike Newton at work again on Tuesday—

—well, maybe it hadn't gotten that bad yet, but it was sure unnerving pretending like it wasn't entirely weird to be sitting at a dinner table with a vampire who liked feeding on humans. I felt like there was a vivid pink and flashing neon sign over my head with an arrow and a pretty script that read "fresh meat".

And, if Emmett and Edward's uncharacteristic behavior didn't seem strange and off-putting, then the Cullens' total shift in attitude towards their visitor definitely added to my antsiness. I didn't have Jasper's gift for sensing and manipulating emotions but I did have some pretty strong intuition. I'd spent a good part of the day with all of them—with the exception of Rosalie—and it hadn't been hard to see that, for some reason or another, this particular visit had them rattled.

But not anymore.

Some time following Emmett and Rosalie's arrival to the dining room everyone seemed to settle down. It wasn't a tense meeting anymore with a new threat who was barely known, let alone understood; it was, instead, a pleasant get together, a grouping of old friends.

Old friend, like Emmett had called him, but they'd only just met in Africa. As for the rest of Edward's family, none of them even heard of him before yesterday!

The Cullens were good actors—to masquerade as a human family for so long and not get caught they had to be—but I didn't think anyone could be that good, faking a pleasantness that hadn't even existed when we were together in the front room of the house.

It was there, like an itch I couldn't scratch, but something just… it just wasn't right. I noticed it and I thought Edward might have too, but he just smiled indulgently at me and reached for my hand. I gave it to him, of course, but I made sure not to glance at the newly mangled armrest as I did.

Instead, I let my warm hand mold against his chilly one, holding tightly to him. He returned the pressure, much lighter than he had earlier when I was afraid he might pop my hand off of my wrist, and I grinned to myself. Hanging around Edward seemed to be rubbing off on me, too—I was acting like a worrywart.

So what if the rest of the family was smiling warmly down the table and acting really friendly towards Luca? The Cullens were good people, friendly and accepting as I knew very well. It was nice to see Jasper at peace rather than tensed, Alice content instead of constantly checking for the future. Why shouldn't they be? Just because Luca made me nervous, that didn't give the others any reason to be as antsy as I was.

Well, Edward would be susceptible to being as nervous as me, I couldn't change that, but maybe it was good that Luca was being received so gladly.

Everyone was acting differently now, more open, less on edge—but not Rosalie. Rosalie was Rosalie and she wasn't changing for anybody.

I'd been so preoccupied with curiosity and worry over Edward's brief but weird mood swing that I'd forgotten all about Luca's comment about her dress. I'd missed her immediate reaction and what she had retorted with, but she had to have said something because I turned my attention back to them just in time to see the result of her words.

She was sitting tall in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest in a standoffish manner. Her lips had curled back a bit, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. She was obviously very pleased with herself and I could imagine what it was that she'd said.

Emmett was sitting across from her and it was funny to see that his eyes had gone a little wide at whatever it was she had tossed back at Luca. He couldn't keep his chuckle back as he said in a scolding manner, "Babe!"

Luca lifted his right hand, a curious expression on his face. Unless I was imagining it, he actually looked impressed. "That's all right, Emmett. I'm certain I deserved that."

"Damn right you did."

"Rosalie…"

For me, it was also a little strange to see Carlisle acting as a parental figure. He didn't normally have to take that tone with his children and when he did, it made me feel awkward. I knew all of the Cullens—Edward especially—saw Carlisle as their father figure but, in appearance at least, he was so young. The only way you could even tell that he was more than capable of raising and caring for a vampire brood was the air of wisdom and compassion that surrounded him after surviving for more than three hundred years.

Rosalie actually had the nerve to look sheepish under the weight of Carlisle's warning. But the words weren't so heavy that she felt the need to apologize to Luca. She just stuck her nose up in the air and turned her head so that she was looking anywhere but at the vampire sitting two seats away from her. 

Carlisle sighed. "I'd like to see you treat our guest a little better than that, Rosalie."

"Honestly, Carlisle, it's fine. I see that Rosalie hasn't changed in the least since we met. As stubborn and… mmm… tenacious as ever. You must forgive her and blame me. I should've known better than to bring up her… love of interesting clothing."

"I don't need you to martyr yourself over me," snapped Rosalie. "Save your pity and, for your damn sake, leave my wardrobe out of it!"

"Fair enough," Luca replied, holding up his hands peacefully. "As you wish."

I couldn't help but think there was a touch of mockery in the gesture—from Rosalie's huff, she thought so too—but everyone else either smiled or nodded their heads. That's just Rosalie, their amusement seemed to say, as hard-headed as they come.

I actually felt a little bad for her. Luca clearly made her uncomfortable and, to make matters worse, her very family was letting him turn her into the butt of his jokes. I didn't blame her at all for looking at him as if she wanted to rip his head off of his shoulders. I wouldn't put it past her, either. She was almost as good at maintain her restraint as Edward… but it's the careful ones you want to watch out for.

He didn't seem to read the threat written blatantly in her golden eyes. It was his turn to be pleased with himself as he turned his attention to Emmett and asked him what he'd been up to since leaving Africa.

"Because," he added smoothly, making a steeple with his long, thin fingers, "it was such a shame to return to that small village after my hunt and discover you'd already left."

I don't know how exactly I expected Emmett to answer Luca's question but I didn't think he would open up and tell him all about their journey from Africa back to the States.

Which he did.

In great detail.

I could see now why Edward was so angry to hear that Emmett had been boasting—he obviously did a very good job of it—but this was a little much. He didn't say why precisely he and Rosalie had decided to leave but that was the only thing he didn't mention.

My jaw went slightly slack, mouth just about dropping open in surprise. Emmett wasn't shutting up—and nobody was stopping him! Not even Rosalie, who looked like she wanted to but knew she'd never get a word in edgewise, or Edward even. A quick glance at him showed he was even wearing that rapt, attentive face he wore when he was listening intently, drinking in every word that was being said. He was actually paying very close attention to Emmett's boasts.

I listened in amazement as the topic of conversation then turned from Emmett's journey from Africa to the far off places they'd visited and seen. At that point, as the discussion widened to include others beside Emmett and Luca, everyone else seemed to have something to add.

Everyone, that is, but me, Edward and, unsurprisingly, Rosalie.

I had no reason to join in. Even if I could have focused enough to say anything, I couldn't compete with the stories that the others were telling. I lived in Phoenix for most of my life and, with the exception of going to California with Charlie for a couple of weeks these past few summers, I've never really gone anywhere else. Besides, it was much more fascinating to listen to some of the places that Alice had visited to or the exotic locations that Esme and Carlisle had vacationed in the many decades that they'd been together.

Edward, like the practiced student I knew he was, just sat there like a sponge, absorbing every word that was being said. I didn't expect anything else out of him; he wasn't the sort to boast, and I know he didn't really like being reminded of the past. Not, as he said, when we had the present and the future together.

But Rosalie… given her penchant to be snarky and snide when she wanted to be, I was a little surprised to see that she wasn't taking full advantage to throw in a barb here or there depending on what Luca had to say on a given subject.

She was watching him as intently as Edward but there was something different about her expression. While Edward was watching him interestedly, Rosalie eyed him in both distrust and suspicion. She didn't seem to be believing a word of what Luca said—like me, she seemed bothered by the way the rest of her family was taken in by him. Every now and then she shook her head before throwing a glance in another of her family member's direction.

Part disgusted and part confused, Rosalie couldn't understand their sudden turnabout either. I even saw her look at me once, and she didn't even look at me all that darkly. In fact, unless I was imagining it, she almost looked like she was asking me to verify her suspicions.

That, I think, was the strangest part of this whole meeting. I never thought that I would find something that me and Rosalie would have in common, but an inherent distrust of Luca might just have been it.

I didn't want to stare at her so obviously, just in case she remembered herself and started throwing hate-filled looks back my way. Following her suit, I took turns watching the slightly dazed, but overall interested faces of the Cullens. Edward was the most enraptured, but the rest of his family was listening and conversing with their guest just as eagerly.

Trying my best to listen just as intently in case I was missing something important, I heard as the topic of conversation went from exotic places and brilliant vacations to topics equally as entertaining yet entirely out of my scope. With Carlisle, Luca talked about the change in society over the past few centuries; with Jasper, he discussed war and the history of violence in places he'd lived; with Esme and Alice, they went over fashion and the role of women during their tenure as vampires.

It was fascinating and the only way I knew that time seemed to fly by was the change of the position of the sun, gleaming in through the open window. I'd actually expected the afternoon to drag since I was essentially waiting for Alice's prediction about Luca leaving shortly to come true, but it wasn't that bad.

And then, so subtly that I almost missed it myself, Luca took it upon himself to change the subject again. With one quick question and an unnerving glance in my direction, Luca had started to talk about humans.

"I know from Emmett and Rosalie that this coven is a little… unconventional… in their eating habits and it's something that I just don't understand. You're argument certainly has its valid points, but it's so amazing to me that you actually chose," he said, addressing Carlisle, "to spare human lives, feasting on animal blood instead. Why?" He glanced over at me, the charming smile all too fake as he added, "Pardon me, my dear, but I'm just curious. I think you're…mmm… quite lovely in your way, but you do smell delicious."

This was it. The nerves that had settled over me with Edward's admission yesterday came to head at that precise moment. I knew I was dreading something, I knew there was some reason for me to be so nervous, but I never thought that Luca would be so… so overt with his attention.

As if his gaze burned, I dropped my eyes. I normally was much braver than this but there was something… that same something… that seemed to steal my personality away. It took all I had to keep breathing, but not so heavy that I drew attention to that fact.

It was very clear that, despite his pardon, he'd upset me; from the way that Edward hadn't even moved an inch since he spoke up, I knew that Luca's offhanded comment had struck a chord with him, too. Maybe realizing that he'd gone too far, he let out a small laugh, covering up the silence that had followed.

"Of course I respect your place in this coven," he added, and it made me even more frazzled that he was still talking to me, "and I assure you that you have nothing to fear from me. I am quite satiated at the moment."

If that was supposed to be a joke, it was a bad one. The sight of his blood red eyes—those same flat, red eyes from my dream earlier this afternoon—flashed before my consciousness and I felt my stomach drop. What happened when the red turned back to black? Would his promise hold then?

I didn't want to know.

"Yes, well, I never meant to—"

Luca stopped mid-false-apology, his eyes widening in interest as he glanced down the table. Everybody else followed him, including me when I heard the rustle of the chair dragging, just in time to notice that Edward had stood up from his seat. He had moved quickly, silently; like a cat, his gait was gentle but swift as he stood tall at the edge of the table.

That fierce expression that Edward had worn for a short while before was back in place. There was a fine line chiseled into his clear forehead. He was frowning.

"Edward?"

Esme's voice was light and happy but there was no hiding the confusion she obviously felt. It made sense that he would be upset—I knew I was upset—but it was a little surprising that it took him so long to respond to Luca's comment. Why was he just standing up now? A hint of motherly affection lacing her tone, Esme was able to question her adopted son without saying the words.

Edward didn't relax his looming pose; he actually leaned forward, taking a step towards his right so that he was closer to my seat. "It's getting late," he announced, staring unblinkingly at Luca. "I promised Bella's father that I wouldn't keep her out all night."

I opened my mouth to contradict his statement—remembering the note I left for Charlie, I didn't think he expected me home just yet—but something about the set of his jaw kept me quiet. In fact, I felt myself sinking back against the hard, wooden seat of my chair. I knew it all along. Something just wasn't right.

He was speaking through gritted teeth as he pointedly addressed Luca. "It's getting late, wouldn't you agree?"

"It's barely evening, Edward," argued Alice. "I don't think—"

"Alice." Jasper reached out, placing his hand on Alice's sleeve. No matter how strange things had gotten since Luca's arrival, it was obvious that Jasper was still able to pick up on the drastic shift in his brother's mood. He might not understand Edward's newfound hostility any more than I did, but at least he was able to stop Alice from making it so apparent to the rest of us.

Alice took the hint immediately. Smiling an impish little smile, she stopped her train of thought immediately.

"Actually," Luca said, following Edward's lead and rising up from the table, "I seemed to have lost track of the time myself. I'd only meant to stop and check in on my… friends before continuing on my journey." Like Emmett's smile earlier this afternoon, Luca grinned wide enough that his razor-sharp incisors were visible. He licked the edge of his canine tooth; it almost seemed like a nervous gesture. "Perhaps I should be going…"

For the first time that afternoon, Rosalie's eyes brightened. "Oh, leaving so soon?"

"Rosalie..."

Ignoring Carlisle's warning, Rosalie waved her hand flippantly. "It was so nice to see you again, Luca. Do make sure you visit us again next time you just happen to decide to cross the continents to visit Washington."

"I'll make sure that I do." Pushing his seat in, Luca took one step before pausing, his gaze still fastened on Rosalie. "I was wondering… in Africa, when I asked—"

"No."

Emmett shifted slightly in his seat, his grin wavering as he looked from Luca to Rosalie and back. He didn't say anything but I had a funny feeling that he wanted to.

"You haven't changed your mind?"

"Do I look like I have?" she sneered.

He bowed his head slightly, silently ceding another point to her. "No, I don't suppose so." Then, lifting his head back up, he turned to Carlisle. "If you'd be so kind to show me out…"

Carlisle stood up from his seat, followed by Emmett at last and Esme. "Of course, Luca. It's right this way."

As the three of them—leaving the other four Cullens behind in the dining room with me—led Luca out of the room, I noticed that Edward had moved. Instead of standing right in front of his seat, he'd moved so that he was standing right behind mine. Even if I had the strength to climb up and out of my chair I wouldn't be able to.

I heard Luca asking conversationally about the lengths of the Cullens' range, the area they considered their's, as they left through the open doorway. I think I only heard it because, in the few moments that followed their departure, no one else said anything. I don't know about the others, but I didn't have anything I wanted to say.

It stayed quiet, the only sound my frantically beating heart, until Emmett, Esme and Carlisle returned back to the dining room a couple of minutes later. It was then, when the entire family had gathered together again, that Edward opened his mouth.

"Is he gone?"

Emmett looked at Edward as if he was crazy. "He just left."

Edward ignored him. Turning to Alice, he asked again, "Is he gone?"

Jasper scowled and I was reminded of their discussion earlier in the den. It really bothered him, I realized, when someone—even if it was one of his brothers—took advantage of Alice and her gift. It wasn't something that seemed to worry her, and it took Edward's constant nagging this afternoon to even entice Jasper to comment on it, but I had the feeling that he thought it was too soon for Edward to start up again.

Alice shrugged her shoulders, not quite sure what Edward was asking of her. "I guess, Edward. I mean, he's leaving but that's all I'm getting right now." She frowned at him, showing her displeasure at him. "He did just walk out the door, right?"

Huffing, Edward was acting uncharacteristically rude as he refused to even offer any gratitude to Alice. He was hovering over me, suddenly anxious, and I could hear the rough intake and outtake of rapid, unnecessary breath over my head.

"Edward," Esme said, slightly scolding, "what has came over you? He was our guest."

"Was he really?" Edward shot back.

Carlisle placed his hand reassuringly on his wife's shoulder. He gave his head a small shake, blinking once or twice before looking at Edward. A curious expression flashed across his face followed by a knowing frown. It was as if he was suddenly seeing clearly; his eyes were wide and he looked disappointed. Disappointed but also determined.

He was very quick-witted and extremely smart. Three centuries of lifetime experience, countless educations and an exaggerated compassion that led him to know and understand people—and vampires—better than anyone else, Carlisle was the first one to realize what could possibly be bothering Edward.

Assuming his role as head of the family, Carlisle made it his point to understand exactly what was going on. "Edward, what did you hear?"

The simple question had the power to deflate even Edward. He exhaled, his proud stance crumbling under the weight of the revelation. "He wasn't just here for a quick visit, Carlisle. He… he wants Rosalie," he said, before placing his hands protectively on my shoulders, "and now he wants Bella, too."

* * *

Author's Note: _I really didn't mean to take four months to update this. Between NaNo in November, Christmas in December, and a revival of my Newsies fan fiction with the New Year, I'd neglected a couple of my other stories. I finally decided that it was time to buckle down and get back into this story -- especially since I had half of this chapter written for forever -- and here it is. I don't think the next update will take long... I'm hoping to actually get back into scheduled updates for my stories. Luckily for me, I'm a prolific Springtime writer. And you know what they say about March: in like a lion, out like a lamb. Bring on the sunshine!_


	15. Blame

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

--

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Fourteen  
BLAME

--

"What do you mean, he wants Rosalie?" Emmett growled, bristling a bit as he clenched his hands at his side.

"What do you mean, he wants Bella, too?" Rosalie added, sneering.

I didn't know if I was supposed to be offended by that or not. Most likely, but then again, since Rosalie seemed more surprised at hearing my name mentioned than learning that Luca was after her, it was probably just an immediate reaction on her part. Hey, if it wasn't for the fact I was struggling to understand what Edward meant, too, I would have been marveling that he was even able to clump Rosalie and me together in any way, shape or form.

My first thought was that Luca had unknowingly goofed, that he'd let slip in his head his plan to go back on his word and try to, well, eat me basically. But if all he wanted me for was as a snack, then what did he want her for? And if his attraction to Rosalie was simply—and obviously—because of her appearance, then what did that have to do with me?

I could feel the weight of his hands bracing my shoulders as if he was keeping me in my seat, as if he didn't have any intention of letting me stand. But, weirdly enough, I wasn't worried yet, and I wasn't all that nervous... at least, not yet. I was just really, really curious. What exactly had Edward heard to set him off like this? It was one thing for him to get up from the table and explain courteously that we had to go back to Charlie's for some reason—but for him to insist so meaningfully that Luca leave, too?

My hunch was right on earlier when it pointed out that something strange was going on.

Edward didn't respond to either Emmett or Rosalie's demands for answers. His fingers kneading gently against the base of my neck, I could feel the emotions in his gesture. He was trying to work out what he heard and explain it in a way that made sense to the rest of us, and it took Carlisle calmly calling his name again for him to speak up.

"I said this before," Edward began, his velvety voice gravelly and deep within his explanation, "that listening to Luca's mind was like trying to tune in to a far-off radio station. It's fuzzy, with a few blanks and a small snippet of conversation here and there." His voice, and his fingers, went even faster as he continued, "I got the feeling that somehow he was doing it on purpose, that somehow he knew I could hear him, but it… it didn't seem quite so important before."

"No," Carlisle agreed, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "it didn't, did it?"

Edward's frantic fingers stopped working away at my skin—though that might have been because, under the intensity of his pressure and his family's watchful gaze, I'd started to slip down in my seat—and he let his cool palms settle peacefully back in place on my shoulders.

"I was careless, but I wasn't entirely oblivious," he murmured, loud enough for me to hear. The others would have no trouble making his voice out. "I thought I might have caught him forgetting to keep his pretense up once, but he was quick. I did, however, get him the second time he faltered."

"When he mentioned Bella?"

Picking my head up, turning to look over at Edward, it was easy to see the gratitude he felt that Carlisle, at least, understood what he was trying to say. Everybody else—me included—was just as confused now as when Edward all but kicked Luca out himself.

"That's exactly it, Carlisle, thank you. He was looking right at her and I could just sense it. I knew exactly what he was trying to keep hidden from me, from all of us, behind that smile of his and his friendly façade. He'd come all this way to Forks from Africa because he desired Rosalie's company. But, in that moment, I could see that he had another idea. He decided he wants Bella as well."

I gulped. It didn't help having him say that a second time.

"But, Edward," Esme broke in gently, "are you sure? He seemed so nice and friendly, and he was very respectful towards Bella."

"Yes, but don't you see? That's what he wanted us to think! And I…we fell for it," he said, bitterness finding its way into his tone.

Alice wrinkled her nose and squinted her eyes. "I don't see him hurting her, Edward," she offered. It was almost funny, the amount of tact she conjured up in order to put it so nicely.

"He doesn't want to eat her, Alice," Edward told her bluntly.

"Oh." She nodded. "Well, that does make more sense then."

I was finally able to find my voice. Rolling my eyes, trying to make light of Edward's dour and worried attitude, I said, "Gee, Alice, thanks."

I was surprised by how reasonable I sounded. I even managed to bring a little sarcasm back. Hearing that Luca didn't want to make me his next meal had calmed me down enough that any panic that threatened to rise never even had a chance. It was such a relief to see Edward back to his normal—and overprotective—self. As long as I wasn't on a vampire's menu, I could live with him being around as long as Edward stopped acting so strange. It was a fair trade-off, I figured.

Emmett took the pause that followed as an opportunity to try and remind Edward of his earlier question. "Now wait… can we back up here? I'd like to get back to the part when you said he was after Rose."

With a glorious shake of her head and a flippant wave of her perfectly manicured hand, Rosalie brushed Emmett's worries aside. "Actually, I'd rather hear what _she _has to do with anything."

Her gaze landed on me, cold and calculating and maybe just a bit jealous. It wasn't as hate-filled a glare as the ones she'd shot Luca all throughout the afternoon—but it was close.

Now there was the Rosalie Hale I'd come to know and love… well, tolerate.

Toleration was a good word to describe Edward's relationship with his blonde sister, too. Blanching at her question, offended on my behalf, he inhaled sharply. I shut my eyes, preparing myself for another Edward/Rosalie argument that revolved entirely around my presence in his life. I was lucky that they'd been thankfully missing while she was in Africa with Emmett. I guess it was about time that she reminded us all how better off the Cullens would be if I was gone, and Edward got a chance to remind her that didn't care for a word she said.

He surprised me, though. I expected him to turn on his sister but he didn't—there were more important things on his mind still. When he spoke I could hear the restraint in his voice, the very shakiness to his tone; he was working very hard to keep himself in check.

"He wants Bella," he said, and just the way he said that so simply, so defeated, made me feel like my heart was being squeezed. There was untold agony as he murmured my name. Pausing long enough to lift his hand and let the cool edge of his finger stroke my cheek, he began again. "He wants Bella because he's never seen a human so integrated into a vampire coven before. It's unheard of to him that we should think of her with anything more than hunger on our minds, and the uniqueness of our situation caught his attention. And, of course," he added a touch wryly, "her scent certainly does her no favors."

All of the other Cullens kind of just nodded their heads in agreement. I wanted to disappear. It was one thing for Edward to comment on my scent; it was another for the rest of them to actually agree with him. This was just like the time when I first met his family and Alice told me how good I smelled.

I wonder if he would notice if I just crawled underneath the table…

At least Emmett had his priorities in order. As I tried to stop the blood from rushing to my face—Alice was watching me curiously, and so was Esme—I heard him say, "And what about Rose?"

He sounded angry and he sounded overly excited… but he didn't sound as if he had any clue what was going on. Luca's fixation on Rosalie, while painfully obvious even to me, had gone right over his head. That was weird, too, since Emmett seemed to have a good enough reason to go after Luca even before he arrived, but then he had been so friendly when Luca was actually there. Now that the other vampire was gone, Emmet was a just a bit more aggressive than before—aggressive and, like the rest of us, very confused.

Edward was the only one who really knew what was going on, and, when he was agitated, he wasn't very good at spelling it out for everyone else. But at least he tried.

"This Luca, he specializes in the unique," he said carefully, finally answering Emmett's question, "and I must admit that Rosalie _is _uniquely beautiful."

Rosalie huffed, but a quick glance showed that her frown had softened slightly. Fluffing her long blonde hair absently with her hand, she even looked a little pleased.

Emmett, meanwhile, had crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Well all know that my babe is drop dead gorgeous, Edward. What of it? What does that mean?"

"Luca wasn't only interested in her appearance. He likes the unique, and her beauty was something he'd never seen before. But it wasn't just that which caught his attention when you met him, Emmett. It was the fact that she didn't fall prey to his charms, that she was utterly indifferent to his attempts to take her away that ignited his desire to make her his."

Turning to look pointedly at Rosalie before Emmett, who was already starting to sputter at this revelation, could get upset, Edward said, "But you knew that already." Cocking his head slightly to the side, a few lines etched in his brow as he tried to concentrate. He exhaled roughly. "You're still hiding something from me, Rosalie."

"Get out of my head, Edward," she sneered, fire in her eyes. She was staring across the room at him, her expression murderous.

I didn't blame her. I was very grateful sometimes that my mind was the only one Edward couldn't hear. It must be awful not to have privacy even in your own head.

Edward didn't see it that way just then. Unimpressed by her sudden fury, he didn't even blink. Calmly, determinedly, he asked, "What are you hiding?"

Rosalie was still in her seat—she hadn't gotten up when Luca left, or when the rest of her family came back to the dining room—and her hands were gripping the edge of the table. Her frown returning in full force, her eyes narrowed shrewdly on Edward's daring expression, she didn't answer him. Or, at least, not out loud. I could only imagine what sorts of angry thoughts she was sending his way to keep from being scolded by Carlisle again.

It was like a battle of wills, the two of them facing off. This was entirely between Rosalie and Edward, and the quiet in the dining room was suddenly deafening. I was the only one who was a little taken aback by their ferocity; the Cullens, even Emmett, seemed to be used to it already. Absently running his hand through his thick, curly hair, Emmett looked more worried about what Edward told him about Luca than the fact that Rosalie was consciously hiding something.

In the end, I think Edward was the winner. He didn't remove his expectant gaze and, under its weight, Rosalie snarled under her breath, the angry sneer twisting her face as she bared her teeth in frustration at her brother. Shoving roughly against the table, her strength pushing it away far enough that she could stand up without moving the chair, she rose gracefully from her seat.

"Stay out of my head," she hissed warningly again, pointed one of her long, pale fingers at Edward. "My thoughts are not there to be read like the morning newspaper."

And, before Edward could offer some sort of retort, she flounced from the dining room. She was probably retreating back to her and Emmett's room.

Emmett stayed behind for a few awkward seconds longer before shrugging his shoulders in a "what-can-you-do" type of gesture and quickly bounding off after his incensed wife.

With a small shake of his head and cluck of his tongue, Carlisle was the first one to break the silence that Rosalie's dramatic departure had caused. "Oh, Edward..."

Sounding a little sheepish—if not frustrated, too—he sighed. "I know, Carlisle. But it's right there. She's trying too hard to keep me from understanding her tie to Luca that it makes me even more determined to learn what she's hiding."

Esme smiled motherly over at her adopted son. "Rosalie will come around soon. We just have to give her some space."

Giving Rosalie space when she was undoubtedly lying to the family was the last thing that Edward wanted to do. But I also knew that he wouldn't disobey his parents so openly. I was right, too. When he nodded begrudgingly, Carlisle reciprocated the gesture and Esme's smile turn appreciative.

"Carlisle?"

Jasper's softly spoken voice reminded me that he and Alice—who was being unusually quiet—were still in the dining room. I turned to look at him. Sometime since Luca left, Jasper had gotten up and moved so that he was standing right beside Alice. There was a curious look on his face, a hardened expression that looked just a touch haunted.

I think Carlisle saw it, too. "Yes, Jasper? What is it?" he asked, sounding very serious all of a sudden.

"If Edward is sure about this vampire, that he really came for Rosalie, then maybe he was right before. Are we really certain that he's gone? It's not very usual for one of our kind to give up so easily."

"Jasper's right, Carlisle," Alice added. "How do we know? He could be outside right now. I can't see anything, so I can't say if he was telling the truth when he said he was leaving."

Edward's body tensed, his hands clenching tightly at my skin. I don't think he remembered how close the threat really was until Jasper and Alice pointed it out to him again. "We have to be sure," he murmured, speaking under his breath. I could hear something new in his voice: a hint of panic. Reaching over my shoulder, I placed my right hand securely on top of his.

"I'll go and make the rounds," offered Jasper.

"And I'll go with you," decided Carlisle. Turning to look at Edward, he said, "Jasper and I will check the surrounding area and make sure that Luca really has left. You," he continued, cutting in before Edward could object, "stay here with Bella. Rosalie can handle herself, and she'll have Emmett if she needs him."

"All right," Edward said at last, agreeing with Carlisle. "Just… let me know if you find him."

"We will," Jasper said solemnly. He gave Alice a small, affectionate pat on her arm before following Carlisle out of the dining room.

Esme was still standing, and she watched Carlisle and Jasper leave, following them with her golden eyes. Once they were gone, she gave a small, light-hearted laugh and clasped her hands in front of her. Casting her gaze over me, Alice and Edward, she said optimistically, "Well, I'm sure things will work themselves out. Who knows? Maybe he just went away disappointed, hmm?"

"It is possible," Alice answered, getting out of her seat. We had been the only two sitting at the huge table and, now that she was standing, that left only me. And, if it wasn't for the fact that Edward was still hovering over me, I would've liked to stand up to.

"See? Carlisle and Jasper will check the grounds and, when the come back, we can put this whole visit behind us," Esme said, sounding a lot more confident than I felt. "Though, I do suppose that I should go upstairs and see if Rosalie has calmed down some."

Edward snorted under his breath and Alice shot him a look. It was easy to see what Esme and Alice were doing, trying to make the situation something lighter than Edward thought it was, and she didn't appreciate Edward's continued pessimism. That, and the way it was his presumptions that made Rosalie run off in such a huff earlier.

"You should go," Alice told her. "I'll stay with Edward and Bella."

Esme nodded. "I'll come back down as soon as I can."

I waited until Esme had left before I decided to speak up myself. Something Carlisle had said had made me a little antsy, and Alice's offer to babysit me alongside her brother had made me feel even worse. Carlisle had told Edward that we should stay _here_ together… stay together in the Cullens' home. But I couldn't do that—it was getting late as it was, and I knew that Charlie would be expecting me home soon.

Clearing my throat, looking down on the tabletop instead of at Edward, I mumbled, "Maybe it's time I should be getting home."

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I can't let you leave."

His answer, while not entirely unexpected, made my heart rate pick up. He sounded so serious, so set in his decision that I wasn't allowed to go, and that made me a little frightened. I knew that Luca was possibly a threat to me—but, if he wasn't after my blood, then what did it matter if I went home? Edward could always come with me—he usually did—and he could protect me there. Besides, what would I tell Charlie if I stayed out all night?

Just the thought of my father's expression and his upset at me not coming home made my stomach tighten into knots I hadn't felt since Edward told me that a new vampire was coming into town. Right then, the prospect of an angry Charlie—Charlie who barely got angry as it was, but who would make an exception when Edward was involved—was more terrifying than an interested vampire.

I don't think he expected such a bout of emotion coming from me. His hands were loose on my shoulder now and, before he could use his strength to keep me in my seat, I had jumped out of the chair. Wheeling on him, I cried, "But I have to! You know I can't stay here much longer. Charlie will kill me if I stay here all night, Edward. Tuna casserole or no tuna casserole!"

His eyes were on my face, wide and searching. On the surface, his topaz-colored eyes seemed serene but, unless I was imagining it, there was a panicked look underlying it. My heart almost skipped a beat. I didn't like it.

Finally, he nodded. Reaching behind him into his back pocket, he pulled out something that was slim, sleek and silver: his cell phone. Without tearing his gaze from my face, he tossed it to his side. "Alice?"

I turned my head to my right just in time to see her nod assuredly. Her fingers were already working the dials as she spun on her heel, lowering her head so that she could talk directly into the speaker.

I couldn't hear what she said but I had a pretty good idea how she said it. Charlie was like putty in her hands; it was no surprise when Alice quickly hung up the phone and handed it back to Edward. "There," she said, quite pleased with herself, "Charlie said you can stay here as long as you like, Bella."

"What did you tell him?" I demanded. But, since my voice came out as more of a squeak, it wasn't all that impressive—or demanding, even.

There was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "I just told him that, following Rose and Emmett's homecoming, the family decided to take off for a spontaneous weekend of camping in the mountains. But, of course, I felt a little under the weather, and I couldn't possibly ask my parents to cancel the trip. Perhaps it was possible if Bella… you offered so kindly, I must add… stayed the weekend with me until my family came back home."

"And he believed that?" I asked. Shaking my head, not knowing if I should be amused or annoyed by the way Alice had so expertly handled Charlie, I answered my own question. "Of course he did. Charlie loves you." Swallowing back a groan, a sudden frightening thought popping into my head, I said, "What if he comes by? What if he gets so concerned that he stops by himself?"

"He's never been here before, Bella," Edward reminded me gently.

"No, but he _is _the chief of police! And my dad! He's going to get worried, and I could just _see_ him coming by to check up on us." This time I couldn't even keep the groan back. I hated lying to Charlie—at least, lying to him about something like this—and I already felt guilty. "I could just see him bringing chicken noodle soup, too."

Alice smiled indulgently at me. Already moving towards the doorway, she tossed back, "I'm on it, Bella. I'll go make sure that we have all of the cars are in the garage. He'll never know we're all here and, if he does stop by, we'll just tell everyone else who's still in the house to hide."

She paused there, her back to the open entrance. Unless I was imagining it, she punctuated the end of her statement with a pointed look in Edward's direction. But, before I could get a better look myself, she gave us a small wave and flitted out the door.

I shook my head. I was probably imagining it. Knowing Alice, she was just glad to have an excuse to drive each one of the cars into the garage.

With Alice's departure, that left me and Edward together alone in the dining room. He closed the small gap between us, standing right in front of me again. I wanted to hold onto my annoyance that he could make such big decisions for me—but that was pretty futile. Under the power of his adoring gaze, I was powerless.

His hand reached out, carefully taking mine in his. "Would you like to come upstairs with me? To my room?"

"Depends," I said, letting the pout fill my voice. "Are you really going to keep me here? Or are you going to let me go home?"

The look he gave me answered my question for me. I sighed. "I guess we're going upstairs."

We didn't meet any of his family members as he led me out of the dining room and, entering into the front room, hurriedly took the stairs. That was a relief, considering I didn't feel up to facing any of them just then. Like before, like the last time the Cullens ran into another group of vampires, it all came down to Edward's overreaching aims in making sure I was protected.

And I wasn't even all that sure that I nodded as much protection this time…

By the time that we made it to his room, I had decided that I wasn't going to be as docile as a lamb and do everything that Edward said without putting up some kind of fight first. The more I thought about his reactions this evening, the more I knew that there was something more than what he was telling me.

"Now that we're alone, are you going to tell me _now? _What's really going on, Edward?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as low as I could. I knew it didn't do much good but I had to try. I knew Edward well enough by now to know that, like he had accused Rosalie of doing, he was keeping something from me. Something big.

I was right again.

Making sure the door was closed tightly behind us, he turned around and walked over to me. We stood together in the center of his room, facing off. I was stubborn, and he was secretive. I wasn't too sure who would win out in the end but, when Edward lowered his gaze for just a moment, I felt confident.

"I guess I should… since I wasn't completely honest before," he admitted at last.

"You lied to me?" That was the last thing I expected him to say.

"No," Edward said calmly, "I just conveniently neglected to mention precisely what I heard."

* * *

Author's Note: _I just wanted to say thank you to those who are still reading this. I thought that the long breaks between chapters would kind of put some people off but the response I'm getting so far is very appreciated. I should have the next chapter done soon -- in fact, I got a good chunk of it written, too. See ya soon!_


	16. Tomorrow

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

--

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Fifteen  
TOMORROW

--

Crossing my arms over my chest, I waited for him to continue. When he didn't, I prompted him with a nod of my head. "Which was…"

Edward exhaled, and I could see that it was against his better judgment to tell me the truth. In some weird, backwards way, he only lied to me because he thought his lying would keep me safe, but it was about time he got over his hero complex already. I'd rather be worried myself than aggravated that he was consciously fibbing. I knew he was an expert liar—he didn't have to practice his craft on me.

"Luca goes by another name, Bella," he said, his voice both strained and apologetic. "He's the Collector. He collects interesting things."

"Why does that bother you so much?" I asked. He'd said as much downstairs when he said that Luca liked unique things. It was a little strange to hear that he actually had a nickname like that, but I couldn't see how that would make Edward anymore upset than he already was.

"Because he thinks you're interesting."

I shook my head. I think I was missing something important. As far as I was concerned, I was as interesting as white toast—without the butter, even. "And why would he think that?"

"Let me explain it this way. Like me, Luca seems to have a very unique power. From what I can tell, he has the ability to alter thoughts when in close proximity. No," he corrected himself before I could ask him another question, "that's not exactly right. He can't plant ideas that aren't already there, but he can keep people from thinking certain things. Just like how everyone's suspicions melted away before him. Met with his gaze, Emmett forgot the way Luca tried to claim Rosalie while they were on safari… even I managed to let down my guard for too long where you were concerned."

Cutting in quickly, trying to move the conversation along before Edward started to blame himself anymore for something he couldn't possibly control, I said, "I don't get it. I knew you were all acting pretty weird but—"

"See, Bella?" Edward interrupted, nodding in approval of his own theory and my understanding. "You noticed it because you weren't affected by his ability. He couldn't get to your thoughts and that intrigued him. That's the reason he wants to add you to his collection. Because you seem stronger than him."

Just the idea that I could be stronger than a _vampire_ made me want to laugh a little inside. I didn't think Edward, in all his seriousness, would appreciate my humor, so I kept that thought to myself. Still, I couldn't swallow back the smallest of smiles. This was all too familiar; too used to my thoughts being different from everyone else's, I didn't even stop to wonder how much of a freak I was now.

"You know, he reminds me of another vampire I know who was drawn to me just because he couldn't get inside my head," I teased.

"This isn't funny. I'm serious, Bella," Edward said, almost scolding me. I don't think he liked my comparison of him with this new vampire. "Luca, he could be a very formidable threat. Not as dangerous as the tracker since he wants to keep you alive, but the fact that he wants you at all…"

The mention of James just about wiped the smile off of my face. In an instant, I was as serious as he was. I thought I understood now why he was so worried. Whether his intent was to kill me or not, Luca was another threat to my happy-ever-after with Edward. Although I found the whole idea a little amusing, it was only striking me now how bad this could possibly get.

Luca, from the way he followed Rosalie all the way from Africa to Forks, didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word 'no'…

I nodded somberly. "Does your family know yet?" I asked. I couldn't see how they could, but I wouldn't put anything past the Cullens. After living together for so long, the seven of them knew each other so well that it wouldn't surprise me to hear that they could communicate silently.

Of course, Edward's ability to read minds did go a long way in helping with that.

Sighing, taking his eyes off my face for the first time since we went up to his room, Edward glanced out of his window, staring intently out into the darkness. No doubt he was looking for a sign of Carlisle or Jasper—or Luca. If he was even still out there…

"They suspect it," he admitted at last, looking back at me. There was worry written in his golden eyes and I felt awful for him. I just couldn't find it in me to really get so worked up over this. I wasn't entirely convinced by Edward's concerns; Luca wasn't anywhere near as big a threat as James had been. And, if I could survive Phoenix, I could survive anything—as long as Edward was with me.

"When are you going to tell them?"

"Actually, I was going to explain the truth to them as soon as you fell asleep," he answered promptly. His eyes flickered away from my face again, landing on the black couch on the far side of his room.

It took me a second to understand what he was implying but, when I finally figured out what he was trying to say, I shook my head and held my hands out earnestly. "Uh-uh. I'm not sleeping here, Edward."

"Why not? I sleep at your house all the time."

"You don't sleep," I reminded him. "And Charlie would _kill _me if he found out I slept here. It's not like you sitting up with me and leaving before he knows about it. This is his daughter staying over at her boyfriend's house. His _only _daughter."

For the first time since Luca left I saw my favorite crooked smile tug gently at his lips. I could only imagine what thoughts were running through his head then. "But Charlie said you could stay. What will he say if you show up back home so soon?"

I opened my mouth to argue before remembering Alice's phone call to Charlie. I shut my mouth. He was right. Charlie would know something was up for sure if I showed up home after Alice had asked him to let me stay. And, as much as he loved Alice, he was still very leery of Edward after last spring break. He would only be too glad to find any excuse to get me to stay at home all the time.

"Stay for me?" Edward asked when I didn't say anything. His eyes were suddenly smoldering as he look down through his eyelashes at me in a perfectly pathetic display of manipulation.

Oh, he was _good_.

"Fine," I said gruffly, making myself sound as if I was only staying over in his bedroom because there was nothing else I could do. On any other given day I would've killed to spend the night with him with Charlie's permission, but not when I was basically only staying because he was holding me hostage.

It's not like I really thought that Luca would care enough to trace my scent all the way back to Charlie's and run off with me in my sleep. His first target was, undoubtedly, Rosalie. If anything, I thought—if it wasn't for the fact that there were six other vampires who lived here, including two who could be very jealous—that staying at the Cullens was more an advertisement for my whereabouts than going home was.

To show his pleasure at my unwilling agreement, Edward leaned down and pressed his lips gently to my forehead. With him that close it was impossible for me to remember why exactly going back to Charlie's was a better idea than staying over. I sighed, aware that I was giving in to him.

He was smiling again as he pulled away from me. But there was a hint of regret as he gestured at the large couch with his hand. "I'm sorry there isn't a bed, Bella. Next time I'll be more prepared, I promise."

I didn't know if I was happy or sad that there would be a next time. As long as it didn't involve a vampire coming after me, I would definitely stay with Edward again. Forever, if I could.

But I wasn't entirely prepared to tell him that. He knew how much I loved him, how much I wanted to be with him forever, but it was a little annoying to be stuck in his house with none of my own clothes, no toothbrush and no deodorant. I wasn't sure how long my good scent would last without my Secret.

"That's okay. But, if there isn't enough room for us both to lay there," I said, mock-angrily, pretending like I hadn't spent most of yesterday afternoon lying with him on that same black couch, "then I get to sleep there. You can stay on the floor."

He nodded solemnly, and I felt an overwhelming rush of guilt at the quick way he had agreed. Whether I was kidding or not, I knew that he would do it, too.

I shook my head, took a tentative step forward to let him know I was approaching, and then basically flung myself in his arms. There was no way at all I could hold onto my anger. I just wanted to hold onto him.

We stood like that, his arms wrapped tightly around me like a vice, for so long that I lost track of the time. I knew it was late, but I didn't want to ever move. I had to, though, when Edward started to get a little antsy himself. I could feel his cool fingers through my t-shirt, running lightly up and down my back. Sighing my unwillingness to let him go, I pulled away from him enough to get a good look at his face.

His eyes were still staring straight, searching the darkness outside. His jaw was tense, his lips drawn into a thin line. It was easy to see how hard it was for him to hold back when he could be out there, making sure himself that Luca wasn't lingering around the house.

I had to let him go. It was selfish, keeping him here when he obviously he wanted to act as my protector.

Shimmying out of his grasp, I moved away from him. "You can go, Edward. I'll, um, I'll just go lie down." Faking a yawn, I covered my mouth and rubbed my eyes. "I'm feeling pretty tired."

I was a horrible actress and a terrible liar. Between the guilt I felt at deceiving Charlie, and a growing worry over Luca making Edward so worried, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't be sleeping for awhile yet. But Edward needed to go and he wouldn't until he was certain that I would be all right without him for the moment.

There was a knowing look in his eyes. Torn between wanting to believe my lie and knowing darn well that I _was _lying, he said slowly, "I should check in with Carlisle and Jasper."

"You should."

"And I really should find something for you to eat, Bella. You haven't had anything since breakfast," he added, his tone even more preoccupied than before. He looked almost panicked that he'd forgotten that I had to eat a lot more frequently than him and his family.

But, honestly, food was the last thing on my mind. Just the thought of something to eat right then made me want to hurl. Nerves and anticipation had a way of stealing a girl's appetite away. Speaking sternly, I told him, "I'm not hungry. And I… I'm really tired. Go, Edward. You can wake me up when you come back, okay?"

Moving faster than I could see, Edward had his arms around me again. He gave me a quick squeeze and another gentle kiss that left me nearly breathless—and vaguely glad that he'd chosen to believe my lies. It was almost worth it to see him react like this. "I love you, Bella."

I swallowed, trying to catch my breath, before immediately telling him, "I love you, too."

He gave me one more squeeze then, as quick as a flash, he'd lifted me up in his arms as easily as if I were a ragdoll. I barely had enough time to recognize the jolt and the minor fear at being handled so assuredly and lifted so high before he'd settled me carefully against the edge of his couch. I don't know where exactly he produced a soft afghan from but there it was, spread across my body before I could blink. Tucking me in expertly, he let his hand fall possessively against the side of my cheek.

"I'll be right back," he promised. "Stay where you are." And then he was gone.

I didn't even move.

My thoughts were such a frantic whirl, running around my head at an even quicker pace than Edward's when he had run around the room. From the moment I first realized something was wrong with him, to the admission that another vampire was visiting the Cullen's range, to the revelation that he was a strange collector who wanted to make Rosalie—and now me—his…

Yeah. Like that was going to happen. If Emmett didn't tear him to shreds now for desiring his beautiful wife, then Rosalie would get her chance to have it out with Luca for his nerve. With those two involved, I don't think Edward would even have the chance to protect me. Really, as long as I was with him, I was safe.

Still, I couldn't help but remember that, when I woke up yesterday, the only thing on my mind was getting through one last shift at Newton's Outfitters before I was free for another rain-soaked Forks summer weekend.

This morning, I had to worry about Edward's strange shift in mood, Emmett and Rosalie's sudden and unexpected return from Africa, and why the heck I was sleeping in my bed instead of on Charlie's old couch.

I didn't even want to _know_ what tomorrow would bring.

--

I never thought that I would be able to fall asleep with my head spinning like that—but I did.

Edward was gone longer than I expected him to be, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. It made me antsy to have him away. I kept thinking that he hadn't returned from checking in with Carlisle and Jasper because he had found Luca, or because he was still out there, looking. Guilt was creeping in even more as I was left to my own thoughts, my common sense retreating he longer I laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling. I felt guilty that he was willing to go up against another of his kind just for me. The rest of the Cullens, too… it was just like last time. I was the weak human; I was the one who was reliant on their protection.

Did it make me a bad person that I was silently relieved that I wasn't the only target? That, because Luca had his eye on Rosalie first, the threat he presented wasn't focused on just me?

Maybe that was why I fell asleep. It was just easier to breathe in the lingering scent that clung to Edward's couch as my worries faded. His smell wrapped my senses, lulling me into a false sense of security. Holding his afghan tightly against my chest, leaving enough space for him to join me on the couch, I let the darkness wash over me.

I didn't sleep easy, though.

Like this afternoon, when Edward sneakily rocked me to sleep, a big pair of wide, staring red eyes followed me into my dreams. But there were only eyes at first, blood-red eyes that shone ominously out from the center of the darkness. I was there, frantically pumping me arms as legs as I moved; since it was dream, I wasn't moving very fast, but that didn't stop me from trying. Suddenly, there was a shock of golden hair and a slim silhouette running ahead of me, and that same pair of _hungry _eyes stalking us from behind.

I tried to call out to the unknown person in front of me, but the words caught in my throat. I tried to yell out loud for Edward, but I couldn't make a sound.

But he was there anyway.

Edward, with his beautiful face and his warm golden eyes… he was standing off to the side, a shining beacon of light that sent the red-eyed demon scampering even deeper into the darkness. I felt my heart start to slow, the panic the dangerous dream-stalker caused start to subside.

I stopped running, slowing my pace to a contented jog as I turned towards him. He opened his arms, beckoning me to return to my place in his embrace.

Just as I reached him, just as I was about to fling myself back into his arm, he vanished.

Edward disappeared, and I felt my breath hitch. A curious sound, a flash of red appearing where Edward had just been standing, and I let out a small sob… it was a trap. I was trapped.

I don't know if I sobbed in my sleep, or if I woke up suddenly to escape those haunting, terrifying eyes, but one moment I was convinced I was a goner, and the next I was awake and aware that I wasn't alone anymore. Blinking a few times, I was all too relieved to find that I was looking into the familiar golden eyes I adored.

Seeing that I was awake, Edward shifted against the couch carefully so that I could curl up closer to him. His hand caressing the top of my hair, he murmured my name soothingly under his breath.

The calming gesture worked like a charm. Yawning, I fell asleep again, feeling perfectly safe now that I knew that he was with me. Exchanging his murmurs for a soft humming of my lullaby as I slipped back into a deep sleep.

I didn't have any other dreams—or nightmares—that night.

--

I woke up with a jolt. Disoriented, thrust back into my strange dream as I woke up again, I only realized that I wasn't in my bed at home like I should've been when I nearly rolled off the edge of the couch. Catching myself just in time to prevent a bruise or two, my heart beating a mile a minute as the memories came back, I remembered exactly where I was—and why I was there.

My eyes closed again, my heart rate slowing to a normal beat, and I groaned.

This was not how I imagined spending my first night in Edward's bed. For one thing, as wide and as comfortable as his black couch was, it _wasn't _a bed. For another, when I finally accepted the fact that I was awake and not in another weird dream, I was alone.

The unexpected warmth alerted me to his absence first. The thin afghan that Edward gave me last night was gone; I was wrapped in a thick blanket, as snug as if I was tight within a cocoon, and it kept me toasty and warm. There was no chill sneaking in through the quilt, and nothing but softness underneath my back. Edward's cold, hard body was eerily missing, but I would've given up the comfort in an instant if it meant that he was still beside me.

I wasn't frightened that he was missing, just selfish again. Now that it was morning, and I distinctly remembered waking up to Edward's humming in the middle of the night, I knew that things were all right. If something had happened—if Jasper or Carlisle had found Luca—I'm sure he would've woken me up. Only allowing myself to think positively, I couldn't really say that I was all that preoccupied with the fact that I didn't _really _know what was going on with Luca.

Regardless, I was safe in Edward's home, surrounded by one of the strongest vampire covens in the world, and Charlie had given me express permission to stay here (even if it was because he thought Edward was long gone). There was nothing to worry about just yet and, while I didn't quite know where he was, I knew that Edward would have a good reason for why he was gone.

Me, I was perfectly content to remain right where I was until he returned. Letting out another groan—this time a satisfied one—I stretched out of my swaddling, rolled over the other way and snuggled closer into the folds of the couch. But my hands tensed before I started to relax again and I was just about to bring my arms back into the mass of blanket when I felt something stiff and straight brush my wrist.

That made me curious and I immediately opened my eyes. Wiggling just a bit so that I could reach… whatever it was, I stretched my right hand out behind me and grabbed at it, bringing my hand back in front so I could see it.

My heart very nearly skipped a beat when I realized that he had left a note on my pillow. Maybe he'd told me just where he'd run off to this morning. Eagerly, and a bit clumsily since I was still partly asleep, I opened the folded note. There were two words written in Edward's neat and elegant handwriting:

_**Eat up.**_

Eat up? What did that mean?

And that's when I smelled it. Between focusing on the amazing way Edward smelled and being so sluggish and stupid from waking up that disoriented, I hadn't noticed the delicious scent of fresh cooked eggs (among other things) wafting around his room. My mouth started to water and I could feel my stomach grumbling through the quilt.

I guess my appetite decided to return full force this morning.

Pushing the blanket roughly away, I rubbed my eyes as I sat up. Feeling more awake now than when I almost fell off of the couch, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I don't know when he did it, how he did it, or where he'd gotten it all from, but Edward had left a wooden try table off to the side. Like the stereotypical display of a breakfast in bed, he placed a vase with a single flower on one corner. It was about to fall off itself; the table was so crammed with food that there wasn't much room left for the decoration.

The eggs I smelled were in the center, a beautiful omelet that looked like cheese was a main ingredient. Diced potatoes, golden brown with peppers and onions were on another plate, a small bowl of ketchup perched beside it. He also had a larger bowl, full of cereal and sliced bananas, next to the eggs, and a small cup of milk right behind it. Edward must not have known what to leave me for breakfast—that, or he was going to make up for me not eating yesterday enough yesterday by overstuffing me today.

The food was still fresh, too; there were thin wisps of smoke rising about the hot food, and the milk hadn't warmed to room temperature yet. I wondered how long Edward had been gone. Not too long, I figured… though I did marvel that he was able to set this up and then sneak away right before I actually woke up.

I was impressed, and I almost didn't want to ruin his handiwork by eating the meal. The food was beautifully arranged and, like he'd shown me in Charlie's kitchen yesterday when he handled the chopping like a pro, it looked and smelled like a real chef had prepared it.

Hmm… maybe letting Chef Edward watch the Food Network wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

* * *

Author's Note: _That was fun... and, considering what happens next, I think Bella deserves a romantic gesture like that this morning :) I wrote this chapter while listening to Hinder's cover of the Eddie Money hit, "Take Me Home Tonight," and I think the lyrics fit the whole middle sequence perfectly. It's a pity that poor Bella's dreams usually end up coming true, eh? _


	17. Trapped

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are only used for fan related purposes. _

--

**L'Heure Bleue**

--

Chapter Sixteen  
TRAPPED

--

My stomach growled again so loudly that, if it wasn't for my sudden realization of just how hungry I was, I might've been a little nervous that the other Cullens had picked up on the embarrassing bodily noise. Their hearing was exceptional; it wouldn't surprise me in the least that they could hear the rumbling of my belly from the confines of Edward's bedroom. But the aroma coming off of Edward's freshly prepared eggs took me over then, smelling almost as good as my boyfriend himself did.

This, I decided, just cemented the fact that he was too good for me.

With only one more small twinge of regret that I was about to destroy his handiwork, I obediently did what Edward told me to do in his note: I dug in.

The eggs were absolutely delicious, of course, and the potatoes were cooked to a perfect crisp. I expected nothing less from him… though I did study it pretty intently before I ate it at first. Maybe I was still a little sore over yesterday, but it would have been nice to find something—_anything_—wrong with the food. It got old being the plain, normal, entirely imperfect one in our relationship.

I started to feel a little full after I finished the hot food but I didn't want any of it to have to go to waste. After piling the empty, dirty dishes to the side of the tray table—I nearly knocked the flower decoration off but I just managed to catch it in time—I poured the cup of milk into the bowl of dry cereal and picked up the spoon. I took my time with the cereal, swirling the spoon in the milk, letting the flakes get soggy. It tasted better that way, and it gave me something to think about other than where Edward could be.

By the time I finished the last of the cereal, drinking the rest of the room temperature milk at the bottom of the bowl and trying my best not to gag, I thought he would have returned already. He hadn't. I needed something different to think about now before I started to pace around his room.

In the end, I decided that I'd probably be more entertained—and waste a good amount of time while I was as i—if I looked over the vast, eclectic CD collection of Edward's that filled up shelf after shelf of his room. Arching my back, stretching a little, I was just about to climb out of the couch when I noticed a second table set up just off to the side of the breakfast tray table. I was pretty sure that the second one was new; at least, it hadn't been in the room last night, though I couldn't say the same thing about this morning.

I got a better look at it, and I knew that the table had been set up just for me. There was a good-sized pile of stuff stack on top that I recognized—and they weren't Edward's.

They were mine.

A fresh pair of jeans was folded at the bottom of the pile, my favorite blue sweater placed on top. I could see a sliver of white sticking out from underneath the lightweight material and I paused for a second, trying to figure out what it could be. My face started to heat up when I realized what they were: my underwear. Not only did Edward bring me clothes for today, but he even brought me clean underwear!

I didn't know what was worse: that he had to go rifling through my underwear drawer when Charlie was sleeping down the hall, or that Edward had—with everything else on his mind—found time to bring me clothes… and _underwear_! And not only that, either. Nestled neatly on top of my sweater, I saw my deodorant laid next to a brand new toothbrush and two trial size containers of a matching strawberry shampoo and conditioner set.

Oh, yeah. He was definitely way _too _good for me.

Just then I could almost forgive him for sneaking off this morning to bring me my underwear… even if it did reinforce Edward's determination to keep me his prisoner in his family's home. But only almost. He had made me stay and there was no way I was spending another night here because he was acting paranoid. Unfortunately, if he had gone to the trouble to make sure I would be comfortable today, it was easy to see that he didn't have any intentions of letting me go home this morning.

That better change later.

Sighing a bit, I let my fingers reach out and run along the soft edge of my sweater. Like everything he did, I thought it was pretty thoughtful that he'd brought me this to wear today. It was the same sweater I'd worn the first time I met his parents, and one of the shirts I owned that he liked best. Even though it was summer, it was a thin enough sweater to keep me comfortable.

And it always reminded me of how much he loved me.

I was just about to pick the sweater up and pull it on over my bed-head and rumpled t-shirt when I noticed another folded square of paper set neatly on the far edge of this table. I immediately forgot everything else as I eagerly picked it up and opened the note.

Maybe, if I was lucky, it would tell me what Edward was up to this morning.

Quickly, I read:

**_Wait for me here, Bella. I'll be with you again before you know it._**

I read it a second time and then a third before wrinkling my nose in thinly veiled frustration and folding the note back up. Slipping it into the back pocket of the jeans I was still wearing, I could almost hear Edward's voice echoing in my head with his message. He hadn't given me an answer with his note, but he'd definitely given me a thing or two to think about.

On the one hand, Edward had very nicely told me to stay where I was. He knew me all too well; he had to know I was itching to get out. Then again, he'd also been kind enough to leave me a pile of fresh clothes and enough toiletries to maybe make me wonder what I wouldn't have wanted to stay over last night.

And it wasn't like he told me to stay in his room, technically. He wanted me to _stay_—and I didn't plan on leaving the Cullen's house. Not yet, anyway. Now that I was done with breakfast, and he still wasn't back yet, I thought it might be a good idea to use the shower.

Decisions, decisions…

No surprise, it didn't take long for me to make up my mind. Shower it was. It would've been stupid to put a clean sweater on over dirty clothes… and, besides, he _did _bring me shampoo, a toothbrush and deodorant. It was almost like he was _telling_ me to get washed up this morning.

I waited about half a minute on the tips of my toes, pleased with my logic, checking to see if Edward was going to turn up now or not. When he didn't even answer when I cautiously called his name, I figured it was safe.

After gathering my clothes together, sticking my deodorant and the toothbrush in the waist of my pants, and making sure that I had a good hold on the shampoo and conditioner bottles, I was all set. Trying my best to be sneaky—and only just managing to slip across Edward's room without actually, you know, _slipping_—I opened the door and peaked my head out into the hall. It was empty. The coast was clear.

I felt a little like James Bond, sneaking down the hallway the way I did. It worked, too. I didn't know where anyone else was in the house, but I made it down the hall and safely into the empty bathroom without anyone seeing me. Not that I thought it really mattered if they did see me… it was just more fun this way.

Once I entered the lavish bathroom, I flicked the light switch on and locked the door behind me. It was a habit I picked up when Phil moved in with my mom and me, and one that I kept with when I moved to Forks to live with Charlie; I barely noticed doing it anymore. I let my fresh clothes settle in the empty sink, moving my toiletries over to the pristine white bathtub.

Because the last thing I needed was to be stuck wet and naked in the bathroom, I checked to see if the Cullens kept towels in the bathroom. Two white, luxurious towels were hung over an ornate silver towel rack. Perfect. They looked like pieces of clouds hanging there, waiting to wrap me up in their fluffy goodness.

Like I had the other day, I didn't really spend too much time marveling at the simplistic beauty of the upstairs bathroom. The shower was calling my name and, feeling only a little self-conscious, I quickly stripped out of my dirty clothes. I had meant to crumple them together and leave them on the toilet seat but that didn't work out the way I planned. I tossed the pile down and it missed the seat entirely, falling on the ground just behind the toilet bowl.

I left them there as I pulled the shower curtain aside and climbed into the tub. I would just have to remember to pick them up when my shower was done before someone like Rosalie found them. Because that would just be _great_ if that happened.

Giving my head a small shake as the image of Rosalie's disgusted sneer as she found my flower-printed panties on the floor of her bathroom, I turned my attention to the shower. This was the first time I'd ever had to use the fancy faucet in Edward's house and it took me a second to figure out how to turn it on. I must have turned the knob too far to the right because, when the spray first came on, the water was so ice cold that I let out a small shriek.

A quick turn back to the left remedied that and soon I was relaxing again under the warm spray of water. There was something about the feel of a steady stream of warm water that just seemed to wash all of my worries away. I closed my eyes, pushing the memory of a pair of flat, red, hungry eyes out of my head, and pretended like nothing was wrong. Besides, it wasn't as if I knew something was wrong… not yet, at least.

If only I could have stayed in the bathroom forever. I couldn't, and I was sure the running water had alerted the entire household that I was awake. It had to be as strange for them to have me here so early and for so long as it was for me to have stayed over.

Maybe that was what made me leave Edward's room in favor of my shower. I was trying to make my day as normal as I could make it, considering how not normal it was already starting to be. Sleeping over at Edward's with Charlie's permission? Breakfast in bed? My clothes picked out for me by someone who wasn't Alice?

Yup, definitely not normal.

The familiar strawberry scent of my shampoo helped me pretend that this was just another morning. As long as I kept my eyes closed, it was easy. Of course, I couldn't keep my eyes closed any more than I could stay in the shower. Before long I would turn into a wrinkled prune—and that was if I didn't run out of hot water first.

It was with a sigh that I reached my hand out and turned the shower off. Taking care that I didn't slip and fall, I walked over to where the towels were hung and took one down. I'd been right when I thought it would be like a cloud; the towel was so soft and comforting that I felt like the fabric was giving me a hug. It was just what I needed and I probably would have kept it on if it wasn't for the fact that I was in Edward's house. After the incident with the towel yesterday, I wasn't taking any chances.

Drying off more slowly than I should have, I used the lush towel to wrap my wet hair up in as soon as I was done. Getting dressed, however, was much less time consuming. It was just after I finished putting my underclothes on and carefully pulling my sweater on over the towel—which, in retrospect, it probably wasn't the best idea to put the sweater on after I wrapped my hair in the towel—that I heard a sound that made my heart jump up to my throat.

I heard a vicious snarl followed by the pounding of one—no, two—people bounding up the steps. The house seemed to shake and my heart dropped down to my stomach. I had no idea what was going on or who was coming up to the second floor but I'll tell you this: I basically flew into the pair of jeans that were still folding neatly and resting in the curve of the sink. If the sounds were the forewarning of a threat on its way, I wasn't going to be caught standing there in my underwear!

It was hard enough for me to get dressed quickly without tripping over my own two feet at times; it was even worse to have to do that when your heart is beating a mile a minute. The pounding came to an abrupt stop just as I was shimmying the waist of my jeans in place—it came to a stop and, suddenly, I could hear voices come from right outside the bathroom door.

"Rosalie? Rose…"

There was another snarl, and then I heard Rosalie snap, "What? What do you have to say to me that you didn't already say to me downstairs?"

"I'm just doing this for your own good. You're my wife. It's my job to look after you."

If it were possible, my heart started to beat even faster. I was breathing easier, relieved that it was only Emmett and Rosalie who had run up the stairs so noisily, but it was still pretty uncomfortable. Whether it was intentional or not, I was basically listening in on their conversation.

I wondered if I should clear my throat, open the door and try to slip by them with a careful 'good morning'. I had a funny feeling that this was the type of argument that I didn't want to be mixed up in: the married people sort.

I should have been faster. I shouldn't have stopped to wonder if I had enough time to clean up my dirty laundry and my toiletries before I escaped back to Edward's room. I should have just opened the door and, despite the embarrassment that would have surely followed, let them know I was right here.

I should have, but I didn't. And Rosalie was all set with a fiery retort .

"My God, Emmett! After all these decades, you choose _now_ to decide to prove to me that you're a man." She paused there and it was hard for me to tell if she was disgusted or exasperated. Rosalie usually sounded angry when I was in earshot; it was the nuances in her voice that I was still learning to pick up on.

From beneath my embarrassed blush—there was no keeping the blood from rushing to my face, and I couldn't imagine this situation getting any worse—I decided it was definitely exasperation when Rosalie added, "In case you didn't realize it, you already do that every single night."

I could just see the wolfish grin that had to be splitting Emmett's face as he said, "And some afternoons too, huh, babe?"

And I thought that this couldn't get any worse. I was wrong. This couldn't really be happening to me, could it? I was stuck in the Cullens' upstairs bathroom with Emmett and Rosalie blocking the door. They had to know I was in here—either from the shower water that had just stopped running a few minutes ago, or the strawberry shampoo I used so liberally—but they were talking so loudly it was as if they didn't care.

And now, to make matters worse, they were talking about their sex life!

I wanted to curl up and disappear down the shower drain with the rest of the soap and bubbles. There was no way this could end well. Of course, considering my luck, that meant that things immediately had to go from bad to worse.

Emmett must have realized that Rosalie didn't quite appreciate his little comment because he groaned. Loudly. The humor was gone from his voice as he tried his best to explain.

"There's a difference between pleasing you, Rose, and making sure no one else gets their grubby mitts all over you. This—" he said, and there was a sharp cracking sound that made me jump. The same sound, I remembered from the Cullens' baseball game, that two vampires made when they collided, "—is mine."

Another noise followed right after, louder than the first, and I was pretty sure the house shook underneath my feet. I had the sinking suspicion I knew what the source of that was, and I wondered if there would be an Emmett-sized hole in the wall outside of the bathroom when I finally got to leave.

"No," Rosalie snapped, and she managed to sound both vindicated and furious at the same time, "it's _mine_. I just let you have it because I love you. But I can always keep it away from everyone, if you'd like."

"That's what I'm t—"

"Including you, Emmett. For your own good, of course."

Oh, no. My hands flew to my face, covering my eyes and stifling my groan. It was bad enough that she'd thrown him across the hall—at least, that's what it sounded like to me—but now she was mimicking him? Rosalie was even angrier than I imagined. And at Emmett, too. I'd never seen her turn on her husband like that before.

Dropping my hands, I glanced over at the door handle. It was still locked. Good. Not that it would do anything to keep a vampire out if she wanted to get in, but it made me feel better anyway. Seriously, what was she going to do when she finally realized that I was stuck in here, listening to every word they said?

And where was Edward already? If he didn't hurry up and help me escape from this bathroom, Rosalie was going to kill me!

At least, for the moment, Emmett was taking up all of her attention. He was more than a match for his fiery wife—except for when she was threatening to make him practice abstinence. Then, even Emmett's strength couldn't even save him from his libido.

Clucking his tongue, groaning again under the weight of Rosalie's considerable threat, I heard him moan, "Aw, Rose. Don't be like that."

"Why shouldn't I? You… you're treating me as if I was a human! Newsflash, Emmett: I'm not that fragile little girl I was when I was really eighteen. I can take care of myself."

Rosalie's hiss sent a shiver down my spine. Edward told me before that the reason his sister hated me—well, he said she didn't _understand_ me, but I knew that he was trying to sugarcoat the truth—so much was because she regretted being turned herself. She wanted to be human again more than anything and couldn't understand my fixation with becoming a vampire. For her to throw that in Emmett's face, especially since she was the one who begged Carlisle to turn Emmett into a vampire, well… let's just say I'm glad that there was something separating her from me.

_Edward… any minute now would be great…_

The towel I had wrapped my hair in was beginning to slip just then and my concentration shifted to it gladly from Emmett and Rosalie's argument. Holding it in one place with my hand, I meant to glance at the mirror but my eyes strayed to the window on the far side, near the shower.

The window gave me an idea.

I let the towel drop, the damp tangles of my hair falling back against my shoulders. I didn't even notice as I hurried over to the window and, bracing my hands against the sill, I stared out on the grounds. I was in the bathroom on the second floor which meant that, if I was desperate, it was only a one story drop to the grass.

Desperation just about covered my feelings. But, I wondered… would it be worth another broken leg to get myself out of this potentially humiliating encounter?

Then again, who was I kidding? This crossed the borderline from mild misunderstanding to full-blown embarrassment as soon as Rosalie brought up Emmett's manhood!

I was just debating whether or not Edward's anger at learning I had purposely caused myself harm—and left the house at the same time—would be worse than Rosalie's when I blinked and shook my head. The argument just outside the bathroom door hadn't stopped while I stared out of the window. My attention momentarily distracted, I tuned back into their heated discussion just in time to hear my name being mentioned.

The argument might have been heated before but Rosalie's voice was as cold as ice as she snipped, "I just hope Bella is more appreciative of your efforts."

_Bella_?

What did I miss?

It seemed like I wasn't the only one who was unhappy that my name was being dragged into their fight. I heard a strange sound, a mixture between a low hiss and a growl, and then a third voice cutting in with a firm, "Don't bring Bella into this."

_Edward_!

I don't know when he joined the two of them, but I was glad. Or, at least, I was glad until I heard him speak again. Before Rosalie had the chance to sniff at his command, or Emmett could turn it into some sort of joke, there was a polite knock on the bathroom door, followed by, "Bella?"

It was Edward. His voice had calmed considerably, the velvet texture smoothing over his earlier anger. I could make out the question in his voice before he even said it. Then, when I didn't answer him right away, he said, "Bella, are you in there?"

I was absolutely mortified. It was bad enough to be caught eavesdropping, but eavesdropping on a conversation like the one I'd just heard? And he had to know I was in here. There was no way I could lie, and I couldn't pretend to be conveniently deaf anymore than I could try to sneak out of the bathroom without any of them knowing.

I was trapped, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Biting my lip, I finally called out through the door, "… maybe."

"Are you decent? Do you want to come out?"

What could I do?

The only good thing I could think about was that, when I went out there, Edward and Emmett were both standing there, too. If Rosalie decided she wanted to take her anger out on me—and, considering her last remark, there was a good chance she might—then there was no way Edward would let her. And I would hope that she listened to Emmett…

Who was I kidding _now_?

Darn it. I knew I should have just jumped out of the window when I had my chance. Another broken leg and six more weeks in a cast would have been much better than what I was about to face.


End file.
